The Biden administration announced today that it will begin sharing its store of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine following safety reviews. Once the vaccine clears federal safety reviews, 60 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be made available, according to a Tweet from senior White House advisor Andy Slavitt. “BREAKING: U.S. to release 60 million Astra Zeneca […]
Contract Manufacturing
EU won’t renew J&J, AstraZeneca vaccine contracts, report says
Reports from Italy claim that the European Union Commission won’t renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts next year with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. According to Reuters, Italian outlet La Stampa reported that sources from the Italian health ministry have said the commission does not want to pursue contract renewals with those two companies once those encompassing the current year expire, […]
FDA tells hospitals: Stop reusing disposable masks
The FDA issued guidance today recommending that healthcare personnel and facilities cease the reuse of disposable masks. According to the recommendations, healthcare personnel and facilities should transition away from crisis capacity strategies like decontaminating or bioburden reducing disposable respirators for reuse. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) approved an increased domestic […]
Sandia Labs seeks partners to make reusable masks
Sandia National Laboratories has come up with its own version of a reusable respirator for frontline workers. Sandia has filed for patent protection, is testing prototypes, and seeking NIOSH approval and potential manufacturing partners for its elastomeric half-mask N95 respirator. It’s the latest entry to a small but growing category of reusable masks designed to filter at […]
Emergent has reportedly had serious problems at Baltimore vaccine plant
Emergent BioSolutions was not prepared to take on the mammoth task of churning out millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to support U.S. efforts to end the pandemic, according to a report published today in The New York Times. Emergent was ill-equipped despite a $163 million federal contract to prepare the facility for high-volume production, according to the Times investigation, […]
Feds put J&J in charge of vaccine production at Emergent plant
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that it assumed full responsibility for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine at the Emergent BioSolutions Bayview (Baltimore) facility. The company’s announcement comes days after news broke that a factory error made at that facility resulted in 15 million discarded COVID-19 vaccines. Get the full story at our sister site, […]
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics wins nearly $53.7M BARDA contract for COVID-19 tests
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (NSDQ:OCDX) announced that it received a $53.7 million government contract for its COVID-19 tests. Raritan, N.J.–based Ortho Clinical Diagnostics was awarded an undefinitized contract set to lead to a $53.7 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) as a continuation of the partnership between the two entities, according […]
Medbio consolidates two acquisitions
Contract manufacturer Medbio (Grand Rapids, Mich.) announced today that it is consolidating and rebranding its recent acquisitions, Polymer Conversions and AIM Plastics. Medbio acquired Polymer Conversions in September 2020 and bought AIM Plastics in 2019. Polymer Conversions is a medical device contract manufacturer that specializes in complex thermoplastic injection molding and value-add assembly. AIM adds scale to Medbio’s business, which […]
BD plans $65M plant in Arizona
BD (NYSE:BDX) announced today that it will invest $65 million to build a state-of-the-art supply chain hub in Tucson, Ariz. Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD’s new 120,000 square-foot facility is slated to become a hub for the company’s supply chain by serving as a final-stage manufacturing and sterilization center, according to a news release. Get the full […]
BD expands recall of ChloraPrep 3 ml applicator
BD announced that it revised a previous press release from last week to expand a voluntary recall of its ChloraPrep 3 mL applicator. Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD initiated the recall for specified catalog numbers of the applicator device on June 23, 2020, due to possible fungal contamination under certain environmental conditions, according to a news […]
Eyenovia partners with Eversana to commercialize pupil dilation agent
Eyenovia (NSDQ:EYEN) announced today that it partnered with Eversana to help commercialize MydCombi if it earns U.S. approval. MydCombi is a fixed-combination mydriatic agent for potential use in comprehensive eye exams with a formulation for touchless fixed-combination microdosing in an effort to improve the patient experience. The FDA earlier this month accepted Eyenovia’s New Drug Application […]