BiodefenseEducation.org: PublicPolicy

Public Policy - Pandemic funding, liability shield clear Congress

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 11:26:20 GMT

CIDRAP - Before adjourning last week, the US Senate passed and sent to President Bush a bill providing $3.8 billion for pandemic influenza preparedness and a controversial liability shield for those who produce and administer drugs and vaccines used in a declared public health emergency.

Public Policy - Saga of Incompetence

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 11:08:13 GMT

Washington Post - An editorial that asks a pertinent question that desperately needs to be answered: "Even today, it still is unclear who in the government -- the White House, the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Health and Human Services -- is really in charge of defense against bioterrorism."

Public Policy - NATO faults Russia for hindering efforts to secure nuclear material

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:14:46 GMT

Chicago Tribune - Russia's reluctance to allow the United States access to nuclear and biological weapons sites severely hinders efforts to secure weapons-grade nuclear material and biological pathogens from terrorists and rogue states, according to a new report released by NATO.

Public Policy - Bill to shield vaccinemakers raises alarms

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:31:39 GMT

Christian Science Monitor - A measure to shield drug manufacturers from lawsuits in an effort to encourage them to develop new vaccines is likely to be quietly attached to a "must pass" defense appropriation bill within the next few days.

Public Policy - Regulations readied for research labs

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 11:03:31 GMT

Boston Globe - Boston public health authorities will propose today sweeping new safety regulations governing more than 1,000 research laboratories working with dangerous germs in universities, hospitals, and biotechnology companies across the city.

The proposed rules emerge 10 months after public disclosure that three Boston University scientists had fallen ill while working with tularemia, a lethal bacterium. City health authorities acknowledged yesterday that the proposal is a direct response to the tularemia exposures, as well as long-festering concerns from neighbors about the development of a high-security lab at BU where scientists would be capable of working with some of the world's deadliest germs.

Public Policy - Expert Panel Evaluates Implementation of Project BioShield and Procurement of Biodefense Vaccines - Panel Calls for Independent Advisory Oversight Board

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 10:16:32 GMT

National Press Club - At the National Press Club today, a panel of three internationally known biodefense experts and vaccine thought- leaders discussed the implementation of Project BioShield, the procurement process for biodefense vaccines, and recommendations regarding the need for a science-driven, systematic and impartial process for comparing the risks and benefits of current and new medical countermeasures to protect America from biological threats.

The panel recommended the adoption of an independent advisory oversight board be included in the decision making process for government-funded biodefense programs because federal policy and planning, rather than traditional market forces, drive the development of public health countermeasures.

Public Policy - Critics lambaste bird-flu bill

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 13:20:36 GMT

Mercury News - A bill moving through Congress to speed production of bird-flu vaccines and other drugs has ignited alarm from critics who claim it would not only shield manufacturers from lawsuits, but also prevent the public from learning if the medicines hurt people more than help.

Public Policy - New Program on Biological Pathogens Worked Out

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 12:23:48 GMT

Azertac - Republican anti-plague station of the Ministry of Health together with the specialists of US Department of State works out a new program on revelation and studying of biological pathogens.

Public Policy - Protection for vaccine makers debated

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 12:13:21 GMT

Associated Press - People injured by a vaccine against bird flu or anthrax would have to prove willful misconduct to bring a claim for damages against drug manufacturers or distributors, according to legislation being drafted behind the scenes by Republicans.

Public Policy - Defense Department helps secure former Soviet 'antiplague' sites

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 10:40:36 GMT

Global Security Newswire - The Defense Department has been increasingly engaged in efforts to secure from proliferation dozens of former Soviet pathogen collection and research stations.

Public Policy - Bioshield II drug incentives questioned

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 09:33:01 GMT

UPI - Brand-name drugmakers are finding themselves at odds with business groups over pharmaceutical patent extensions contained in a pending Senate bill intended to fight bioterrorism.

Public Policy - New Worries on BioShield Effort

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:59:29 GMT

Washington Post - For almost a year, the small California drug company Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals waited anxiously to see how much of its promising medicine against acute radiation sickness the government might want to purchase under the federal Project BioShield program...On Friday, the company learned to its dismay that the government proposed to buy only 20,000 to 200,000 doses of its type of drug -- not nearly enough to make final development economically feasible...Some on Capitol Hill worried that the BioShield program, which has been in trouble because large drug companies have generally declined to participate, was headed for even rougher waters.

Public Policy - Red Cross says government biological weapons programs pose biggest threat

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:30:19 GMT

Associated Press - The Red Cross on Tuesday called for more efforts to regulate government biological weapons programs, saying they pose a bigger threat to the world than bioterrorism.

Public Policy - War on terror 'causing US deaths'

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 10:18:51 GMT

BBC - The US government's focus on the war on terror has diverted funds from healthcare, leading to many deaths, a leading health expert claims. The expert goes on to claim that public health experts are concerned about "disproportionate" US government funding of bioterrorism prevention, rather than other public health care.

Public Policy - Strains from biological weapons program sent to U.S.

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 10:34:02 GMT

Chicago Tribune - More than 60 dangerous and deadly bacterial strains that are a legacy of the former Soviet Union's elaborate biological weapons program were transferred Friday to the United States from Azerbaijan as part of the two countries' joint fight against the threat of biological terrorism.

Public Policy - U.S. backs away from claims that Cuba has bioweapons program

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 10:12:33 GMT

Knight Ridder - The Bush administration backed away Tuesday from claims that Cuba has an offensive biological weapons effort, acknowledging in a report to Congress that "there is a split view" among intelligence analysts on the question.

Public Policy - U.S. to Aid Ukraine in Countering Bioweapons

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:59:28 GMT

Washington Post - The United States and Ukraine agreed yesterday to work jointly to prevent the spread of biological weapons, signing a pact that clears the way for Ukraine's government to receive U.S. aid to improve security at facilities where dangerous microbes are kept.

Public Policy - Bioterrorism Response Hampered by Problem of Profit

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 11:01:29 GMT

Washington Post - In 2000, the Pentagon's Defense Science Board concluded that to successfully respond to a bioterrorist attack, the United States would need 57 specific drugs, diagnostic tools and vaccines. At the time, only one was available. Five years later, officials say that number has increased to two.

Public Policy - Aid in flu pandemic concerns health chief

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 09:35:41 GMT

Associated Press - In the event of a flu pandemic or a bioterrorism attack, help could arrive via door-to-door mail delivery or from a local fire station, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said yesterday.

Public Policy - Companies complain about biowarfare law

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:07:46 GMT

Reuters - Companies seeking government contracts under the new Bioshield law designed to create a biosecurity industry complained on Thursday that bureaucracy was slowing them down.

Public Policy - US struggles for drugs to counter biological threats

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 10:35:12 GMT

Wall Street Journal - Almost four years after anthrax attacks hit the U.S., a $5.6 billion federal program designed to produce new vaccines and drugs to counter biological threats is struggling, leaving the nation behind in efforts to build a promised defensive stockpile...Big drug and biotechnology companies largely have shunned the program, known as Project BioShield and overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services, amid concerns over legal liability, high costs and limited potential for profit. That has left the government highly dependent on fragile, little-known biotech companies -- which all too often are run on a shoestring budget and dependent on government orders simply to stay in business.

Public Policy - Senate looks at expanding patents for bioweapon antidotes

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 10:45:05 GMT

Knight Ridder - The quest for a successsor to the Bioshield bill begins.

Public Policy - Proposed budget would cut state biodefense funds, boost drug stockpile

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:19:10 GMT

CIDRAP - The Bush administration has proposed cutting funds that support state and local preparedness for bioterrorism and other health emergencies in fiscal year 2006, drawing protests from public health advocacy groups. However, the proposal for the fiscal year that begins next October would increase funding for the nation's emergency stockpile of drugs and medical supplies by more than 50%.

Public Policy - Biowar: U.N. to expand bioterror powers?

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 12:31:31 GMT

UPI - The United Nations is considering lending support to international quarantines and mandating that nations in the midst of disease outbreaks open their borders to U.N. health officials as part of an expanded response to epidemics and bioterrorism.

Public Policy - BioWar: Biodefense money tricky temptation

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:15:51 GMT

UPI - A new report recommends the substantial amounts of federal bioterrorism money being sent to state and local public health offices continue for the foreseeable future, but warns the money should not be tied so closely to biodefense that it cannot be used for "maintaining and expanding other vital functions of the public health system."

Public Policy - Biowar: Hill changes are little help

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 13:22:55 GMT

UPI - Two new committees on Capitol Hill will simplify the funding and oversight of biodefense programs, but not enough to avoid significant duplication of effort.

Public Policy - BioWar: Rethinking biodefense budgets

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 12:00:58 GMT

United Press International - There needs to be more planning over the best ways to spend biodefense dollars and there needs to be more coordination between the various agencies (DHS, DOD, DHHS) involved in biodefense spending.

Public Policy - Flaw in federal program deters applicants for bioterrorism fund

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 12:06:51 GMT

Boston Business Journal - More descriptions of what is wrong with Project Bioshield.

Public Policy - Take action now on biological weapons before it's too late, warns BMA

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 12:16:24 GMT

British Medical Association - More on how the British Medical Association paints a bleak picture of the global community's ability to cope with advances in biological and genetic weapons technology.

Public Policy - Bioterror threat is growing, say medics

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sun, 24 Oct 2004 09:36:01 GMT

The Independent - The world faces a growing risk that terrorists will use new biological weapons created by genetic engineering, the British Medical Association will warn this week.

Public Policy - Bioterror Defense Strategy Frustrates Industry

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 10:54:37 GMT

Associated Press - Project BioShield is falling short of the expectations set for it. However, many individuals are not surprised...

Public Policy - US vulnerable to bioengineered pathogens (PDF format)

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 10:45:48 GMT

[Biosecurity and Bioterrorism] - The United States has improved its odds of defeating a biological attack from agents such as smallpox or anthrax, a report being released today concludes.

But scientists and biotechnology specialists still think the nation is woefully ill-equipped to handle a more sophisticated -- and, perhaps, more likely -- terrorist attack using newer bioengineered germs or other unanticipated pathogens, according to the report by the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Public Policy - Few attend BioShield II hearing

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 11:49:22 GMT

The Scientist - At a sparsely attended Senate hearing on potential improvements to the BioShield legislation signed into law in July, several pharmaceutical manufacturers pleaded for stronger liability protection, while an infectious disease expert urged a broadening of the provisions to encourage antibiotic development. Only a handful of senators attended the hearing off and on, as Congress is busily trying to finish its business before the election.

Public Policy - Britain urged to be ready for plague

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:18:58 GMT

The Times - A call for more microbiologists to be trained in Britain.

Public Policy - Bioshield Act Helps Propel Startups to Market

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:16:31 GMT

Small Times - A look at some of the practical problems with Project Bioshield, from private industry's perspective.

Public Policy - Administration backing off on Cuba's germ warfare ability

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sun, 19 Sep 2004 12:38:06 GMT

New York Times - The Bush administration, using stringent standards adopted after the failure to find banned weapons in Iraq, has conducted a new assessment of Cuba's biological weapons capabilities and concluded that it is no longer clear that Cuba has an active, offensive bio-weapons program.

Public Policy - US Drug Firms Eye More Lures for 'BioShield' Work

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 12:16:44 GMT

Reuters - A month after a new U.S. law encouraging the development of medicines to counter bioterrorism, some drugmakers are lobbying for more incentives to make products that may never be used.

Public Policy - Project BioShield: The first line of biological defense

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:52:20 GMT

AMA News - Billions of dollars back this initiative to spur development of bioterrorism countermeasures. But new vaccines and treatments are only one aspect of readiness.

Public Policy - Bioshield Too Little For Drug Industry

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Mon, 26 Jul 2004 11:26:51 GMT

Washington Post - Bioshield, which was signed into law last week and which the government has billed as the first step in creating a biodefense industry in the United States, has received a largely lukewarm response from the companies it was designed to help.

Public Policy - BioWar: Balancing rights and needs legally

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 10:25:30 GMT

United Press International - A look at the CDC's proposed Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, and what effect it could have on a bioterror event.

Public Policy - Congress OKs Bioweapons Vaccines Money

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 10:25:34 GMT

Associated Press - The Project Bioshield Act passes Congress.

Public Policy - Building a Forward Line of Defense - Securing Former Soviet Biological Weapons

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 09 Jul 2004 10:36:49 GMT

Arms Control Today - Preventing a biological weapons attack-long a terrifying battlefield danger and now a serious threat to civilian populations as well-is a major contemporary global security priority... In the past few years, the United States has responded to the threat from biological weapons by pouring more than $14 billion into attack response preparedness and biodefense programs under the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. However, neither the United States nor its key allies have taken the step of creating an effective forward line of defense against bioterrorism by rapidly accounting for and securing known stockpiles of pathogens on foreign shores.

Public Policy - New buffer for bioterror's tempest

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 12:03:43 GMT

Christian Science Monitor - Project Bioshield is the latest piece of America's homeland defense. But first, the US has to entice firms to take on the work.

Public Policy - NHS 'couldn't cope with attack'

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 11:34:17 GMT

BBC - Britain's National Health Service would struggle to cope if terrorists launched a major attack in the UK, it has been claimed.

Public Policy - Biodefense research raises issues

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 09 Jun 2004 11:08:07 GMT

Tri Valley Herald - Experts suggest a fine line between offense and defense when it comes to the purpose of current and future biodefense projects.

Public Policy - The Death of Disarmament in Russia?

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 10:17:26 GMT

Parameters - Does Russia still have an active offensive biological weapons program?

Public Policy - BioShield gets OK for chem attack prep

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Thu, 20 May 2004 12:14:33 GMT

Associated Press - The discovery of sarin gas in Iraq and the use of anthrax and ricin against Congress spurred the Senate Wednesday to approve $5.6 billion for Project Bioshield to help prepare for possible germ or chemical attacks on American soil.

Public Policy - New Report Says Better Coordination of Resources Along Regional Lines is Essential to Bioterrorism Preparedness

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Wed, 19 May 2004 12:14:04 GMT

AHRQ - Coordinating resources across local and state lines-also known as regionalization-may benefit some bioterrorism preparedness and response capabilities, but more research is needed to find the best ways of coordinating those resources, according to a new report released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

A summary of the report may be found here.

Public Policy - Bioweapons issues can't be resolved in time

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Tue, 04 May 2004 11:17:42 GMT

Los Alamos Monitor - If forewarned is forearmed, it's almost reassuring to hear a deeply pessimistic view of very troubling prospects on the global bioweapons front. Paul Kraemer, a retired microbiologist from Los Alamos National Laboratory, gave a nod to a recent effort by the National Research Council to sort out some of the stubborn issues that have arisen in the age of bioterrorism, but he suspects that most people have long ago clamped their hands over their ears, unable to understand, much less do anything about the hypothetical threat.

Public Policy - Bioterrorism Procedures Are Outlined

Michael P. D'Alessandro — Sat, 01 May 2004 09:56:04 GMT

Washington Post - Yet another look at President Bush's announcement yesterday.