Executives from nine different drug companies today announced a pledge to ensure safety with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The CEOs of AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA), Novavax (NSDQ:NVAX), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), all of whom are developing vaccine candidates, all signed the pledge, which vows to “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” […]
coronavirus
Here at MassDevice — medtech's online business journal — we're covering news about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic daily. Here is the latest about coronavirus and the medical device industry, regulatory changes related to the pandemic, new tests for the virus, vaccine development, and much more.
MedTech 100 roundup: Stocks top pre-pandemic high
After weeks of flirting with the heights hit before COVID-19 ravaged the markets, medtech stocks finally topped the pre-pandemic high last week. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — spiked up to 93.11 points on Sep. 2, nearly a full point ahead of the pre-pandemic high of […]
How decontamination could solve the COVID-19 mask shortage problem
With cold and flu season rapidly approaching, public health officials worry about a resurgence of COVID-19 and personal protective equipment shortages. Protecting frontline workers will likely include decontaminating face masks. A spike in COVID-19 cases this fall and winter could leave healthcare facilities with renewed shortages of personal protective equipment — particularly masks. Hundreds of […]
Roche test for both COVID-19 and influenza receives EUA
Roche (SWX: RO, ROG) announced today that the FDA has granted an EUA for its Cobas SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A/B Test for use on Cobas 6800 and 8800 systems. The test is also available in nations accepting the European Union’s CE Mark. The new Roche test can provide simultaneous qualitative detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2, […]
Cummins is supplying material for millions of face masks against COVID-19
Cummins (NYSE:CMI) is making material for millions of face masks out of its Cookeville, Tenn., filtration plant — thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory nearby. “Because of our expertise in the automotive filtration industry, we believed we could adapt to supply the filter media used in the […]
Report: Abbott to hire 2,000 in Illinois to make rapid COVID-19 test
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) is reportedly set to hire 2,000 new employees to increase manufacturing for its rapid COVID-19 test. The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that the Abbot Park, Ill.-based company would be adding jobs at its Gurnee, Ill., facility following the FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card and the subsequent announcement […]
NIH to boost COVID-19 testing capabilities
The National Institutes of Health announced a $129.3 million plan to support scaling and manufacturing for COVID-19 tests. As part of its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, NIH is awarding contracts to nine companies for their technologies that include portable point-of-care tests for immediate results and high-throughput laboratories that can produce results in 24 […]
Report: Feds to send Abbott’s rapid tests to states for school reopenings
The U.S. government is reportedly set to use rapid COVID-19 tests it purchased from Abbott (NYSE:ABT) for school reopenings. Reuters reported that the feds will send an “overwhelming majority” of Abbott’s tests to governors and state territories to support school reopenings and other critical tasks, according to a Trump administration official. The administration struck a $750 […]
These researchers adapted a stroke patient device for COVID-19
Designed to detect speech and swallowing problems, the device has found a new use in tracking cough frequency to alert healthcare providers that frontline workers may need to be tested for SARS-COV-2. Researchers in Chicago have adapted a flexible patch they developed to monitor stroke patients for swallowing trouble to help detect symptoms of COVID-19. […]
Roche to compete against Abbott with fast COVID-19 antigen tests
Roche (SWX: RO, ROG) plans to launch a SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test that doesn’t need lab equipment to process results — similar to the test that Abbott (NYSE:ABT) recently launched. Roche’s test will launch late this month in Europe, initially making 40 million tests available per month. The Swiss pharma and diagnostics giant plans to also […]
HHS ends more ventilator contracts as national stockpile fills up
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reportedly terminating more ventilator contracts as the national stockpile is full. The Hill reported today that HHS is throwing out some of the contracts that totaled $3 billion as the U.S. government sought to supply as many ventilators as possible during the first surge of […]