Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

Emergency Committee Members report on post-pandemic period of H1N1

The world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert. We are now moving into the post-pandemic period. The new H1N1 virus has largely run its course.These are the views of members of the Emergency Committee, which was convened earlier today by teleconference.The Committee based its assessment on the global situation, as well as reports from several countries that are now experiencing influenza. I fully agree with the Committee's advice.

12 Aug 2010

TLV, Emergent BioSolutions form joint venture to develop broad spectrum pandemic flu vaccine

Temasek Life Science Ventures Pte Ltd and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. today announced their agreement to form EPIC BIO Pte Ltd, a joint venture to develop, manufacture, and commercialize a multivalent, cross-protective human vaccine to protect against influenza caused by a broad range of circulating H5 influenza strains.

12 Aug 2010

Medicago USA awarded $21M to develop vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park

Medicago USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that it has been awarded a $21 Million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Broad Agency Announcement, Defense Sciences Research & Technology to demonstrate the scalable manufacturing of its plant-expressed VLP vaccines in the U.S.A. under a Technology Investment Agreement.

11 Aug 2010

WHO declares end of H1N1 pandemic

"World Health Organisation Director-General Margaret Chan announced Tuesday the end of the [H1N1] swine flu pandemic, more than a year after it was declared," Agence France-Presse reports. "The world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert. We are now moving into the post-pandemic period," Chan said during a virtual press conference from Hong Kong, according to a WHO press release (8/10).

11 Aug 2010

Opinions: HIV prevention research; Foreign aid; Sanitation; Aid, self-reliance

"Microbicides, vaccines and other new approaches will one day join proven HIV-prevention strategies, including condoms, male circumcision and clean needles. How soon that day comes will depend on whether funders and the scientific community can develop the more collaborative approaches to HIV prevention research needed to address this fast-moving epidemic," Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise leaders Alan Bernstein, executive director, and Peter Piot, chair, write in a Globe and Mail opinion piece.

11 Aug 2010

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

The WHO's decision to declare the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic officially over could come within weeks, according to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, the Canadian Press reports.

10 Aug 2010

Hemispherx Biopharma second-quarter net loss decreases to $3.67 million

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. announced its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The net loss (including non-cash expenses) for the 2nd fiscal quarter was approximately $3,676,000 or $0.03 per share compared to a loss of approximately $3,870,000 or $0.04 per share for the same period in 2009.

7 Aug 2010

Novavax reports net loss of $9.4M for second-quarter 2010

Novavax, Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

CEL-SCI produces and fills first lot of Multikine

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today that it has successfully produced and filled its first lot of Multikine® in preparation for the upcoming pivotal Phase III trial targeting advanced primary head and neck cancer.

5 Aug 2010

TapImmune inks smallpox vaccine Research and Technology License Option Agreement with Mayo Clinic

TapImmune Inc. announced that it has signed a Research and Technology License Option Agreement with Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, for the development of a smallpox vaccine technology. Research will be conducted by Gregory Poland M.D., at Mayo Clinic, to evaluate novel peptide antigens together with TapImmune's proprietary TAP technology. TapImmune also has an exclusive Option to the smallpox vaccine technology after research studies have been completed under the terms of the agreement.

5 Aug 2010

West Pharmaceutical Services second-quarter gross profit increases 5.8% to $83.2 million

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2010.

3 Aug 2010

Vical second-quarter revenues decrease to $2.1 million

Vical Incorporated today reported financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2010. Revenues decreased to $2.1 million for the second quarter of 2010 from $4.0 million for the second quarter of 2009, primarily as a result of a $1.5 million milestone payment in 2009 from Merck & Co., Inc., based on Merck's ongoing Phase 1 clinical-stage development of an investigational cancer vaccine.

3 Aug 2010

Severe swine flu cases on the rise

Severe cases of swine flu requiring intensive care are on the rise this week. This has prompted a warning for the vulnerable to be vaccinated. NSW Health Communicable Diseases Branch director Dr Jeremy McAnulty said that the cases appear to be caused by the flu strain that caused the 2009 pandemic.

3 Aug 2010

FDA announces approval of vaccines for 2010-2011 US influenza season

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season in the United States.

31 Jul 2010

Opinions: IDUs and HIV; AIDS 2010; International Violence Against Women Act

In a Los Angeles Times opinion piece, Evan Wood, associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, writes about the Vienna Declaration, a document he helped to draft, that calls for international leaders to revise drug policies to incorporate greater scientific evidence and promote HIV prevention, treatment and care for drug users.

31 Jul 2010

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has released the first lots of FluLaval® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] allowing distribution in the U.S. to begin for the 2010-2011 flu season. GSK anticipates distribution of Fluarix® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] to follow in the next several weeks.

30 Jul 2010

Respiratory symptoms are accurate indicators of influenza infection

New research shows that individuals with mild H1N1 infection may go undetected using standard diagnostic criteria, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, (APIC). The study concludes that coughing or other respiratory symptoms are more accurate in determining influenza infection than presence of a fever.

30 Jul 2010

Quidel second-quarter total revenues increase 1.6% to $25.0 million

Quidel Corporation, a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, announced today financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

30 Jul 2010

Gentiva Health Services second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297.1 million

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported second quarter 2010 results.

29 Jul 2010

BD third-quarter revenues increase 3.2% to $1.878 billion

BD, a leading global medical technology company, today reported quarterly revenues of $1.878 billion for the third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2010, representing an increase of 3.2 percent from the prior-year period, or 3.9 percent on a foreign currency-neutral basis.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 29 Jul 2010

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Emergency Committee Members report on post-pandemic period of H1N1

TLV, Emergent BioSolutions form joint venture to develop broad spectrum pandemic flu vaccine

Medicago USA awarded $21M to develop vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park

WHO declares end of H1N1 pandemic

Opinions: HIV prevention research; Foreign aid; Sanitation; Aid, self-reliance

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

Hemispherx Biopharma second-quarter net loss decreases to $3.67 million

Novavax reports net loss of $9.4M for second-quarter 2010

CEL-SCI produces and fills first lot of Multikine

TapImmune inks smallpox vaccine Research and Technology License Option Agreement with Mayo Clinic

West Pharmaceutical Services second-quarter gross profit increases 5.8% to $83.2 million

Vical second-quarter revenues decrease to $2.1 million

Severe swine flu cases on the rise

FDA announces approval of vaccines for 2010-2011 US influenza season

Opinions: IDUs and HIV; AIDS 2010; International Violence Against Women Act

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

Respiratory symptoms are accurate indicators of influenza infection

Quidel second-quarter total revenues increase 1.6% to $25.0 million

Gentiva Health Services second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297.1 million

BD third-quarter revenues increase 3.2% to $1.878 billion

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