Author Archives: Denise Bell
Braveheart Brings Healthcare to India’s Last Mile Community
These days we can all use uplifting news, so please check out this short story about how BraveHeart technology is harnessing AI to bridge India’s healthcare divide. iKures, an Indian healthcare company, is equipping community workers in remote areas of the country with BraveHeart portable devices to measure blood pressure, hemoglobin levels, or heart rates […]
Who’s First In Line for the COVID Vaccine? CDC’s Immunization Advisory Committee Makes Recommendations
With the first shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine scheduled to arrive in a matter of weeks and Moderna doses soon after, a big question looms: who gets them first? Independent health policy experts on the vaccine advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) met this week to make a recommendation. The CDC Advisory Committee on […]
BioUtah Urges State to Prioritize Life Sciences Workers in COVID-19 Vaccine Plan
With the CDC’s prioritization recommendations as guidance, states will make the final decisions about vaccine allocation in their states. The Utah Department of Health, Department of Public Safety along with Governor Herbert and Governor-Elect Cox are actively working to refine the state’s initial COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. An anticipated vaccination timeline can be viewed here. BioUtah […]
Representative McAdams Honored with the 2020 Champion of Health Care Innovation Award
In a virtual December 3 ceremony, the American Life Sciences Innovation Council (ALSIC), BioUtah and several state and local-based patient organizations, presented Rep. Ben McAdams (UT-4) with the 2020 Champion of Health Care Innovation Award. The award recognizes McAdams for his work in Congress to protect and nurture the important policies that position Utah and […]
Gov.-Elect Cox and Lt. Gov.-Elect Henderson Announce Key Appointments, More to Come
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 2, 2020) – Gov.-elect Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov.-elect Deidre Henderson have announced another round of key appointments who will join their administration after they take the Oath of Office in January. Brittney Cummins, who has served as a member of the Utah State Board of Education since 2014, will join […]
Governor Herbert Updates State of Emergency, New Public Health Order Issued, Revisions to Employee Quarantine
Governor Herbert’s previous State of Emergency ended at midnight Monday, November 23 and a new public health order has been issued. The new health order took effect November 24 and will remain in effect until December 8, unless otherwise modified or amended. The COVID-19 Transmission Index remains in place. All but three counties (Rich, Daggett, […]
Most Favored Nation Rule Poses Patient Access Issues, Faces Legal Challenges
As reported in last week’s BioUtah News and Events, HHS on Nov. 20 released an interim final rule (IFR) implementing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Model, a new payment model through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) that would, starting January 1, base the price Medicare pays for for 50 high-cost Medicare Part […]
Milken Institute Ranks Utah Sixth in Nation for Innovation Capacity
The Milken Institute 2020 State Technology and Science Index ranks Utah #6 in the nation for its knowledge economy and capacity for innovation – same ranking as last year. The index, published annually, compares each state’s capacity for achieving prosperity through scientific discovery and technological innovation, by analyzing their performance on a number of key […]
FDA Posts Serology Templates for Test Developers
The FDA on Nov. 24 posted two templates with recommendations on what to include in EUA requests for serology tests. These templates provide the FDA’s current recommendations on what data and information should be submitted to the FDA in support of an EUA request or Pre-EUA submission for a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test or home specimen […]
Utah Life Sciences Leaders Honored At 2020 Virtual Life Sciences Summit
On the last day of the Summit, BioUtah announced its 2020 Utah Life Sciences award winners, which were presented during a special virtual awards session. Gary Crocker, president of Crocker Ventures, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award Other distinguished award winners include Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall; Chris Gibson, CEO, Recursion Pharmaceuticals; Randy Rasmussen, co-founder, […]
Quansys Biosciences Receives EUA for COVID-19 Antibody Test, Provides Exceptional Clinical Performance
Quansys Biosciences has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its COVID-19 antibody test. The test allows simultaneous detection of human antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein and the SARS-CoV-2 S2 protein, which has shown measurable improvement in clinical performance, compared to tests using a single protein. “This is very welcome news, said […]
SDP Oncology Announces First Patient Dosed in a Phase 1 Solid Tumor Study
Lehi-based Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology (SDP Oncology) recently announced that the first patient has been dosed with the PKM2 activator, TP-1454, in a Phase 1/1b study in patients with advanced metastatic or progressive solid tumors. “Dosing the first patient in this study marks an important milestone, as TP-1454 is the first PKM2 activator to be […]
