Supply Chain

President Joe Biden today plans to sign an executive order for a comprehensive review of U.S. supply chains for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other products. The order includes an immediate 100-day review across federal agencies to address vulnerabilities in the supply chains related to APIs and three other key products — critical minerals, semiconductors…

Today, the White House COVID-19 response team held a press briefing to discuss a range of themes. Andy Slavitt, Senior White House advisor, shared information on the current pace of vaccination. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky provided information on the current spread of COVID-19 and its impact on U.S. life expectancy. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s…

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) have submitted data to FDA indicating that their vaccine is stable at –25° C to –15°C. Currently, the vaccine can be stored in an ultra-cold freezer between –80° C and –60° C, according to current CDC guidelines. Updating the companies’ emergency use authorization prescribing information would be simplify logistics. It would…

Big Tech is apparently viewing the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to improve its standing with the public and the Biden administration. Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN) has offered to help with vaccine distribution. Google (NSDQ:GOOG) plans to use some of its U.S. properties as vaccination sites and offering free ad space to public health officials. Airbnb (NSDQ:ABNB)…

In the early days of the pandemic, hopes were high that a vaccine could return society to normalcy. But now that FDA has authorized two vaccines, much of the general public is waiting for them to become broadly available. Some 4.5% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated as of Feb. 17, according to…

The federal government is increasing the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses from 11 million to 13.5 million, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced today. The tally is 57% higher than the dose volumes states had received at the beginning of the year. The federal government is also beginning to prioritize sending vaccines to pharmacies.…

U.S. government agencies announced that they purchased a total of 200 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA). The orders of 100 million doses from each of the only two FDA-authorized vaccines in the U.S. were made by the U.S. Health & Human Services Dept. (HHS) and the Defense Dept. (DoD). The U.S. has…

While estimates vary, achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 will likely require vaccinating at least 70% to 80% of the public, if not more. Some diseases, like measles, require a vaccination rate of 95%, according to the World Health Organization. Yet, many people in the U.S. public remains guarded about COVID-19 vaccines. Almost one out of three…

A Wisconsin pharmacist who allegedly spoiled 57 vials of Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) pleaded guilty to two federal counts of consumer product tampering. Each vial contains 10 vaccine doses.  The pharmacist Steven Brandenburg, who recently had his license revoked, is accused of deliberately removing the vials from refrigeration for several hours before the vaccine was administered to 57 people. …

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is reportedly expecting to trim the time needed to produce COVID-19 vaccine batches to speed up production. The company, which along with BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) developed one of two COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the U.S., is slated to cut the amount of time it takes to produce a batch of the vaccine from 110 days to…