Previously reported data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study of remdesivir was publicly released over the weekend. According to the preliminary report, remdesivir shortened recovery time from 15 days to 11 days in hospitalized patients. On Tuesday, Merck announced it is developing two different vaccines for COVID-19. The drugmaker is also licensing an oral [...]
Life Science Tennessee’s strength is our members: Experts with diverse knowledge in everything from biomedical research to medical devices and therapies to innovative agriculture practices. At a time when the world’s attention is turned toward the life sciences as the driving force behind a cure, we wanted to give our experts the chance to talk [...]
On Monday Moderna announced that a preliminary test in eight healthy volunteers was safe and effective against the virus. Moderna is one of eight drug makers who have begun testing their vaccine candidate in humans. Meanwhile, Gilead increased its donation of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir for U.S. hospitals to 940,000 vials.Below, we highlight COVID-19 updates and developments from our members and [...]
New research from Vanderbilt University predicts the outbreak will plateau in Tennessee at the current rate of 300 hospitalizations. Interestingly, Tennessee looks to be an outlier state with “a dramatically lower rate of hospitalization and death than the national average.” For the latest tracking of COVID-19 in Tennessee, click here.Tennessee made national news this week following reports that private [...]
New signs of hope emerged last week when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of remdesivir as a treatment for patients severely ill with COVID-19. Dr. Mark Denison of Vanderbilt University is one of the researchers who discovered remdesivir’s potential. According to a report in The New York Times, “The story of remdesivir’s rescue [...]
With the exception of some large counties, this week some restaurants and businesses across Tennessee were allowed to reopen with a set of guidelines. Governor Lee, the Unified Command Group (UCG) and Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group (ERG), along with input from health experts, state and local partners and business and industry leaders, developed the “Tennessee [...]
On Monday, Governor Bill Lee announced he would let his current order expire on April 30 and allow some businesses across the state to open May 1. However, Davidson, Shelby, Madison, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan counties—who operate their own health departments—will plan their own reopen strategies. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate passed a $484 billion relief package Tuesday that would [...]
On Monday, Governor Bill Lee extended his Safer at Home order through the end of April and announced initial plans for reopening Tennessee’s economy. On Wednesday, the Governor announced free testing will become available for any Tennessean, regardless of whether they show traditional symptoms. As TN Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said: “Until there is a vaccine for [...]
As COVID-19 cases increase across the state, Tennessee businesses from companies as diverse as distilleries and auto manufacturers have shifted to make personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, sanitizer and other items. On Tuesday, HCA Healthcare partnered with Google Cloud to create the COVID-19 National Response Portal. The platform is intended to promote data-sharing about how the virus is [...]
On Monday, Governor Bill Lee issued an executive order that urges Tennesseans to stay at home and closes non-essential businesses through April 14. The "safer at home" order follows similar restrictions put in place by governors in at least 30 states. Health care and public health operations, including medical device and biotech companies, are considered essential services [...]
