Ease up or clamp down: Differences over ending coronavirus lockdown turn into power struggle

Israeli scientists say they can mimic the effects of a vaccination campaign if certain people willingly get infected with the coronavirus and recover.

Images of corpses in Ecuador stoked fear of the coronavirus' effect on developing nations. Infections have yet to peak elsewhere in Latin America.

The governors of Colorado and New York outlined plans to ease pandemic restrictions but stressed they were moving with caution.

The coronavirus outbreak has put science on hold. Now there are discoveries that may never be made and patients who will miss the chance at a breakthrough cure.

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has surpassed that of 9/11, even the Vietnam War. Here's a look at COVID-19's place in history.

Washington state has a billion pounds of potatoes -- with no destination

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Tuesday with an infection caused by a gallstone, the Supreme Court said.

David Downes is one of a number of artists in the East of England using the pandemic as inspiration.

Stars like Saffron Barker, Big Narstie and Yammy take part in a four-hour event to raise money.

The elusive artist's latest work, Game Changer, is on display at Southampton General Hospital.

Britain's showmen are facing financial ruin as lockdown means fairgrounds rusting away in storage.

Tekashi just streamed from in-home incarceration, setting an Instagram Live record with 2 million people tuning in. 6ix9ine trolled off the bat, bumping "Bad Boys" while toying with a pair of handcuffs. Tekashi got a lot off his plate ... admitting…

The Good Morning Britain host turned 53 yesterday while husband Derek Draper continues to fight for his life after contracting coronavirus

Rebecca is staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic with her ex Harry Needs and her partner Andrew Parsons

The Real Housewives star says lockdown has brought her closer to husband Paddy

COO, Chris Luttrell shares her wealth of information about the current state of fraud, what IDology research is revealing about patron's trust and the forecasted impact of recent privacy legislation on consumers and businesses.

Keep on reading: Quick Answers to Quick Questions: In Conversation with Chris Luttrell, COO, IDology

With 34 years of programming experience in various organizations, Cal shares what he's observed of leaders who are looking to be reinvigorated, what to do when job-inspiration is lost and taking an educated leap of faith.

Keep on reading: Quick Answers to Quick Questions: In Conversation with Cal Evans, Senior Consultant, E.I.C.C., Inc.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many healthcare facilities around the world are inundated with critically ill patients, and resources such as equipment and staff are stretched thin. Shortages of critical equipment, such as ventilators, can mean the difference between life and death for patients, and the need to keep critically ill patients comfortable and alive […]

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new technique to dramatically enhance the resolution achievable when imaging intracellular structures with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The technique uses the distortions created by a specimen to pinpoint the location of individual molecules, and thereby infer the location of intracellular structures. The technique could be particularly useful in studying […]

According to the World Health Organization, 47% of childhood deaths worldwide occur in the first four weeks of life. This neonatal mortality rate is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly one million newborns die every year. Many of these deaths can be prevented with medical devices that more developed countries often take for granted, […]

Thermoformed packaging company Lacerta has managed to ship over three million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) face shields to healthcare and frontline workers, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Diversified Plastics (DPI), a custom plastic injection moulder and additive manufacturer of high-precision components, has increased the capacity of its Acceleration Station to meet the rise in demand associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Röchling Engineering Plastics UK is supporting the medical and healthcare sectors with thermoplastic components and materials to assist the NHS and worldwide OEMs.

Chemicals company Lubrizol is helping with the pandemic by making materials used in Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as well as hand sanitiser and products to help treat patients who are fighting the virus.

Polyfuze Graphics, a global manufacturer of polymer fusion technology products for safety labelling and graphics, has introduced an antimicrobial safety product to help with Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Manufacturer and designer, Placon, has introduced the Face Shield Alliance to provide healthcare workers and first responders with adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

To help with the increased demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Suffolk based manufacturer Broadwater Mouldings have turned over its 3D printer to produce protective shield frames for healthcare workers.

The charity's Centre for Drug Development will sponsor and fund a future Phase I clinical trial for CB213

Farxiga is the first sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor cleared by the FDA to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

The Scottish government has given funds £101,903 to support the project

More than 6,000 visors have already been delivered to Charing Cross Hospital

Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health and Oversight and Investigations subcommittees today held a bipartisan teleconference forum with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D., to discuss racial disparities in health outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released a joint statement following the call: “Today, bipartisan members of our two subcommittees discussed the deeply troubling racial disparities in health outcomes for COVID-19 patients with CDC’s Principal Deputy Director Schuchat.  During the call, members received an update on CDC’s COVID-19 response, current data collection efforts, and reiterated the need for more accurate and timely demographic data.  “Congress stands ready to work with the CDC to secure comprehensive demographic data to help us direct resources and support to close this gap in these health outcomes.” ###

Energy and Commerce Committee members held a bipartisan teleconference forum with Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, on the Administration’s COVID-19 testing efforts. Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) released a joint statement following the call: “The Committee continued its discussions with federal health leaders today on the Administration’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.  During the call, members received an update on federal efforts to increase COVID-19 testing and encouraged the Administration to continue working to get more testing supplies to communities in need. “The members asked for more specifics on the testing needs that states have identified, how the federal government is going to increase capacity and what level of testing is necessary to reopen the economy. “Testing is an essential tool in reducing the spread of this horrible virus, and we thank Admiral Giroir for providing the Committee an update today.” ###

Washington, D.C. – Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a teleconference forum on Monday, May 11, at 12 p.m. (EDT) with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Joseph J. Simons to discuss critical consumer protection issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant consumer protection concerns that fall under the purview of the FTC, including COVID-19 related scams, price gouging, privacy and data security issues, and more,” Schakowsky and McMorris Rodgers said.  “We look forward to hearing from Chairman Simons about the steps FTC is taking to ensure consumers are protected during this pandemic.”      This forum is open to the press.  Credentialed reporters interested in listening to the forum live should RSVP to Evan.Gilbert@mail.house.gov by 5 pm on Friday, May 8.   ###

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has agreed to buy Portola Pharmaceuticals in a $1.4 billion deal that brings it a first-in-class therapy for treating life-threatening bleeding. According to financial terms announced Tuesday, Boston-based Alexion (NASDAQ: ALXN) will pay $18 for each outstanding share of Portola (NASDAQ: PTLA). That price is a a nearly 132 percent premium to Monday’s […]

The innate immune system has become a hot area for drug development, and for good reason. As the body’s first line of defense, its function (or dysfunction) plays a role in many diseases. The problem, says Ventus Therapeutics CEO Marcelo Bigal, is that drug developers have been working in the dark. Scientists don’t know the […]

As cancer research reveals the genetic basis of the disease, pharmaceutical companies are pursuing targeted therapies that address certain groups of patients. One such drug from Novartis won FDA approval Wednesday, making it the first therapy cleared by the agency to treat patients whose non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carries a certain genetic mutation. The […]

Eil Lilly received accelerated FDA approval Friday for a drug that treats advanced cancers carrying a certain genetic signature. It’s the latest targeted cancer therapy to pass the regulatory bar and the first that addresses tumors characterized by aberrations in one particular gene. The gene in question, RET, produces a protein involved in cell signaling. […]

Gilead has said that Dr John McHutchison is stepping down after nine years at the firm.

Gilead’s Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development has decided to leave the company next month, Gilead said.

Under McHutchinson, Gilead developed five new hepatitis drugs, which have been used by as many as 3.2 million people around the world.

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In this video explainer, Christopher Robertson discusses the Right to Try Act and off-label use of pharmaceuticals with Alison Bateman-House.

The post Access to Drugs Before FDA Approval: Video Explainer with Christopher Robertson appeared first on Bill of Health.

Miami’s Phillip Frost, who built a $2.8 billion fortune in the generic drug business, was allegedly involved in a tawdry stock promotion scheme, the Securities and Exchange Commission says.

Two different groups of researchers have shown that electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, combined with months of intense training, can allow some people who have been paralyzed to regain some walking ability.

The partnership will focus on generating novel small-molecule inhibitors against specific DUB targets for treatment of a range of diseases.

The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) is pleased to announce the expansion of its membership to include ERT, Oracle and Veeva. These new ACRO member companies, with their focus on digital technologies that enable global clinical trials, characterize the ongoing innovation and evolution of contemporary clinical research. ACRO now has 12 member companies.

Investigation of combination therapies including Bayer’s chloroquine and interferon beta-1b to foster much needed solutions for patients in fight against coronavirus pandemic / Bayer Canada to make CAD 1.5 million (approximately 1 million euros) financial commitment and to supply products in support of the research / Plans to include more than 60 contributing research locations involving 6.000 patients

Pharmacists will be allowed to give out medication to patients who have already been receiving it

Pharmacists are to be allowed to hand out a range of super-strength medicines, including the heroin substitute methadone, without prescription during the Covid-19 crisis, under emergency measures that official drug policy advisers have warned could trigger a spike in drug misuse.

The Advisory Council for Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which makes recommendations to the government on the control of dangerous drugs, was asked by the home secretary to consider the risks of lifting restrictions on certain substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Patients were used as guinea pigs but denied access to resulting therapies. This time, Big Pharma must be held to account

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The year I turned 11, my uncle Josiah Ssesanga was admitted to a hospital in Uganda with meningitis. It was 1994, and he was HIV positive. Between him and death stood a tattered post-civil war health system.

Treatments for HIV and Aids existed in other parts of the world, but in Uganda they were mostly limited to those used in clinical trials. For my uncle’s particular infection – cryptococcal meningitis – there was a drug called Fluconazole. But he didn’t know it existed; regardless, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it. and even among patients who took it, only 12% survived beyond six months.

Related: Macron calls for clinical trials of controversial coronavirus 'cure'

Related: Fear, bigotry and misinformation – this reminds me of the 1980s Aids pandemic | Edmund White

Drugmaker will manufacture and distribute vaccine if human trials are successful

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AstraZeneca, the Cambridge-based pharmaceutical group, is teaming up with Oxford University to manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine if clinical trials currently under way show it is effective.

News of the partnership boosted AstraZeneca’s share price, helping it to become Britain’s most valuable company by market capitalisation.

Related: The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine – a perilous and uncertain path