President-elect Joe Biden today announced that Dr. David Kessler, who led FDA through much of the 1990s, will serve as chief science officer of his administration’s COVID-19 response. Kessler’s achievements at FDA included speeding the approval of drugs to reduce the AIDS death toll. He’ll now be helping to lead efforts to speed authorization and […]
Joe Biden
Former CDER head Woodcock to lead FDA for now
FDA veteran Dr. Janet Woodcock has been tapped as interim FDA commissioner by the Biden administration, according to published reports. An article by BioCentury also said that former FDA commissioner David Kessler, who had been mentioned as a possible replacement for current commissioner Stephen Hahn, will be a consultant to the agency but will not serve as its […]
Biden to bolster COVID-19 vaccine production with Defense Production Act
Joe Biden is reportedly planning on invoking the Defense Production Act to shore up the production of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. While FDA has authorized the distribution of vaccines from Moderna Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), distribution has been patchy thus far. Get the full story at our sister site, Pharmaceutical […]
The top 5 MassDevice stories of the week — December 11, 2020
The medtech industry continues to plug along as major news comes in about vaccines, the incoming presidential administration and more. This week’s top stories include the latest on COVID-19, Joe Biden and some additional FDA clearances, plus a major royalties spat. Want to hear more about the week’s top medtech news on MassDevice? Tom Salemi will […]
Biden makes picks for HHS secretary, CDC director
President-elect Joe Biden has made selections for leaders of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Biden chose California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his nominee for HHS secretary. The 12-term veteran of U.S. Congress had previously advocated for healthcare issues as AG in California and […]
HHS confirms involvement in presidential transition process
U.S. Health and Human Services Dept. Secretary Alex Azar confirmed that HHS is working with president-elect Joe Biden on a presidential transition. Speaking during a press briefing, Azar said HHS is in contact with the transition team after the General Services Administration formally recognized Biden as the president-elect, having previously sidestepped questions regarding the potential […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Stocks remain high after record-setting week
Medtech stocks have been on the rise since positive news regarding COVID-19 vaccines broke last week, breaking a record in the process. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — finished last week at 98.99 (Nov. 13), marking a 1.4% uptick from the 97.62 points registered at the […]
What a Biden administration could mean for the pharma industry
While President Trump continues to refuse to concede the election, a growing number of business associations and politicians have acknowledged Biden as the president-elect. What a Biden presidency would mean for the pharmaceutical industry continues to be an open question as the Senate outcome remains undecided, but two broadly similar outcomes are likely. Get the […]
The top 5 MassDevice stories of the week — November 13, 2020
The medical device industry marched on this week — with a major multibillion-dollar M&A deal closing even as worries mount over the COVID-19 pandemic, global recession, and the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election. That was a big takeaway from this week’s top news on MassDevice. Want to hear more about the week’s top news? […]
Joe Biden’s plan for COVID-19 and how the industry is reacting
Following the weekend’s news that Joe Biden is now president-elect of the U.S., plenty of focus is shifting to his plan for COVID-19. While positive news regarding Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate came through this morning, the pandemic is still roaring on, with the U.S. hitting a record 128,000 new cases on Saturday as the […]
Medtech employees favor Biden in last stretch of presidential campaign fundraising
Former Vice President Joe Biden is outraising incumbent President Donald Trump nearly 3-to-1 among medtech employees and their families, according to a Medical Design & Outsourcing analysis of OpenSecrets.org data. Check out our breakdown covering 25 of the largest companies. Medtech companies’ employees and their families have donated more than $1.3 million to Biden, versus $464,167 to […]