After his surprise removal from HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority—a key agency partnered with pharma companies on COVID-19 drugs, vaccines and diagnostics—former Director Rick Bright is alleging whistleblower retaliation by HHS leadership. 

The world is waiting for Gilead Sciences to set a price tag for remdesivir, the first brand-new med authorized to treat COVID-19. Its choice will affect Gilead's reputation and bottom line, set a tone for follow-up meds—and either help polish up the pharma industry's image or create a new flashpoint for criticism.

Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, a/k/a “El Mellizo,” was extradited today from Colombia to the United States to face narcotics trafficking charges. According to the indictment, Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, together with his twin brother Victor, led a major Colombian narcotics trafficking organization known as “the Twins” or “Los Mellizos” Organization.

An allegedly high-ranking leader of one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels, whose father allegedly heads a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and is among Mexico’s most powerful drug kingpins, was extradited today from Mexico to face federal narcotics trafficking conspiracy charges in the United States.

Georgi Vasilev Pletnyov, 49, of Svishtov, Bulgaria, was extradited from Poland to the United States on Friday, May 21, 2010. 

Edward Oedewaldt, 47, was arrested in Arcadia, La., on April 23, 2010, after an extensive search involving assistance from law enforcement in the United States and abroad.

Italian citizen Flavio Ricotti, a former executive of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based valve company Control Components Inc. (CCI), has been extradited to the United States from Germany in connection with his alleged participation in a conspiracy to secure contracts by paying bribes to officials of foreign state-owned companies as well as officers and employees of foreign and domestic private companies.

Three Colombian nationals have been extradited from Colombia to the United States on charges of conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit, alien smuggling for profit, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with their alleged roles in an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud scheme through which they fraudulently procured visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.

Sergei Tšurikov, 26, of Tallinn, Estonia, has been extradited to the United States to face charges of hacking into a computer network operated by an Atlanta-based credit card processing company.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ordered that Juan Antonio Gaona must adhere to a 25-foot buffer zone around a Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Services Clinic in San Antonio, Texas.

Alleged Mexican drug kingpin Esteban Rodriguez-Olivera, 47, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on Friday, March 11, 2011, and was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., on charges contained in a superseding indictment returned on March 21, 2008.

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas against Angel Dillard for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).

Alberto Benjamin Arellano-Felix, an alleged leader of the Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was extradited today by the government of Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California.

The Justice Department announced today that Ralph Lang, 63, Marshfield, Wis., was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Madison, Wis., with attempting to injure, intimidate and interfere with other persons because those persons were providing reproductive health services.

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against Kenneth and JoAnn Scott for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Richard Retta for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).

Aurelio Cano-Flores, aka “Yankee” and “Yeyo,” a high-ranking member of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face drug conspiracy charges.

Miguel Angel Nevarez, aka “Lentes” and “94,” a member of the Barrio Azteca (BA) gang, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face a variety of charges including those related to his alleged participation in the March 13, 2010, murders of three individuals with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has ordered that Jo Ann Scott be permanently enjoined from using force, threat of force or physically obstructing any person because that person is or has been obtaining or providing reproductive health services.

According to court documents, in January 2011, Ms. Parente used physical force against two volunteer escorts who were accompanying a patient into the Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania Liberty Avenue clinic.

The Justice Department, along with U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore, Middle District of Georgia, today announced that a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against former Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth; his son, Austin Bloodsworth; and former Wilcox County Jailer Casey Owens. The superseding indictment charges the defendants with assaulting three different inmates inside of the Wilcox County Jail on July 23, 2009, thereby violating their civil rights. As a result of the assaults, one inmate suffered a broken jaw, and two other inmates sustained bruises and scratches. The indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to cover up the assaults. In addition, Stacy Bloodsworth and Austin Bloodsworth were charged with lying to the FBI, while Owens was charged with writing a false report about the incident. Stacy Bloodsworth was charged with tampering with one of the victims, as well as two witnesses.

Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea, 28, of Constanta, Romania, was extradited to the United States and appeared in federal court in New Hampshire today, to face federal charges relating to his alleged participation in an international multimillion dollar scheme to remotely hack into and steal payment card data from hundreds of U.S. merchants’ “point of sale” computer systems.

An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca (BA), a transnational border gang allied with the Juarez Cartel, was extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges related to the March 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico.

Eduardo Arellano-Felix, 55, one of the alleged members of the Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was extradited today by the government of Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California.

Narcotics trafficker Edison Burgos-Montes of Yauco, Puerto Rico, faces life in prison following his conviction on two capital murder counts

A federal jury late last night convicted two Harlan County, Ky., men on federal kidnapping charges and conspiracy charges, exposing them to a maximum of life imprisonment. The jury also acquitted the men of violating the sexual orientation provision of the Matthew Shepard James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. David Jason Jenkins, 37, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, were convicted on the kidnapping and conspiracy charges for their roles in kidnapping and assaulting 28-year-old Kevin Pennington, a gay man.

Terrence Yarbrough, a/k/a, “T-Rex,” 37, of Memphis, Tenn., was convicted today in federal court on 10 counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, the Justice Department announced today.

The Justice Department announced today that a settlement has been reached with David Hamilton for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Alexis Candelario-Santana, 41, faces life in prison following his conviction of murdering eight people and an unborn child and attempting to murder 19 others during a mass shooting at a Puerto Rico pub in 2009.

Doreen Alexander has been extradited to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago to face charges related to her alleged role in the 2005 kidnapping of naturalized U.S. citizen Balram “Balo” Maharaj.

Xavier Jiménez-Benceví, aka “Xavi,” 28, faces life in prison following his conviction of murdering Delia Sánchez-Sánchez, a federal witness on a drug trafficking case.

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that voted in favor of death for a North Philadelphia drug kingpin, Kaboni Savage, today voted in favor of life for a co-defendant, Steven Northington. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.

Two former derivatives brokers and a former cash broker employed by London-based brokerage firm ICAP were charged as part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the Justice Department announced today.

Habtom Merhay, a national of Eritrea and a citizen of the United Kingdom, made his initial appearance today in federal court to face human smuggling charges for his role in smuggling primarily Eritrean and Ethiopian undocumented migrants.

A Las Vegas-based former Department of Defense contractor has been extradited from Iraq to the United States to face fraud and conspiracy charges for attempting to bribe U.S. officials in order to secure government contracts for his companies

Ivan Soto-Barraza, who is charged with the first degree murder of United States Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, was extradited to the United States from Mexico today, announced Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy of the Southern District of California

Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Ahmad made his initial appearance today in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, on federal terrorism offenses, announced John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Today's Daily Dose brings you news about Blueprint Medicines' disappointing results from gastrointestinal stromal tumor trial; revised timeline of Clearside Biomedical's resubmission of XIPERE NDA; encouraging trial results of INOVIO's MERS coronavirus vaccine and initial data from Syndax Pharma's acute leukemia trial.

The chief executive of a supplement company under investigation by FDA could go to prison for allegedly violating the terms of his supervised release following a criminal conviction in 2014.

Regional cooperation key to containment and rebound

There is going to be a time in the not too distant future, when the fuller picture of the healthcare impacts of COVID-19 come into sharper focus. When that happens, it is not likely to be pretty. In large part, … Continue reading →

A major health agency fears a humanitarian crisis. Migrant workers are returning home from the hard-hit Dominican Republic. Medical equipment is in short supply. And social distancing is improbable.

Here is where masks are currently required, as well as proposals that would dramatically increase face-covering requirements.

Building a wardrobe of fashionable face masks doesn't make me insensitive to the grave consequences of coronavirus.

The "Plandemic" video was the latest breakout hit from the coronavirus conspiracy theory industry. Social media companies are scrambling to ban it from their platforms.