Category Archives: COVID-19 Updates
Congress Nears Deal on COVID-19 Stimulus Package
Leaders of both parties inched closer on Thursday to agreement on a COVID-19 stimulus package. The package would include more funding for PPP loans, allow a second loan draw for hard-hit small businesses and streamline forgiveness for loans of $150,000 or less. In addition, the measure is expected to include some level of direct payments […]
Utah Readies to Receive 154,000 COVID-19 Vaccines
Governor Herbert yesterday announced that teachers would move up to the front of the line for the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition to teachers, the first phase of vaccinations in Utah will focus on healthcare workers, as well as residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Last week, BioUtah sent a letter to the Utah Department […]
Co-Diagnostics JV CoSara Receives Clearance from Indian FDA for COVID-19 2-Gene Multiplex Test
Co-Diagnostics announced November 25 that CoSara Diagnostics Pvt Ltd (“CoSara,” or the “JV”), its joint venture for manufacturing and sales in India, has received clearance by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (“CDSCO”) in India to manufacture and sell its Saragene™ COVID-19 2-gene multiplex RT-PCR test. Dwight Egan, CEO of Co-Diagnostics, said “tests built on […]
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 […]
Utah COVID-19 Small Business Quarantined Employee Grants
Utah continues to support the business community during the COVID-19 pandemic with its COVID-19 Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant program. If an employee needs to quarantine or isolate due to a COVID-19 exposure or positive test, employers can continue paying them and be reimbursed with this grant program. Utah created this program to reimburse small […]
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 […]
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 […]
COVID-19 Vaccination Briefing From the State of Utah.
View the briefing below: COVID-19 Vaccination Update_11-17-2020
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 […]
