News Release

 

 

Disasters and emergencies carry with them a broad range of public health and medical threats and our responders need access to new and innovative technologies so that they can help keep people safe and healthy during disaster response and recovery.  Tomorrow’s scientific innovations begin with today’s research and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is supporting these innovations through a series of Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs). 

 

These BAAs focus on the development of new technologies that facilitate the administration of medical countermeasures during a public health emergency; medical countermeasures against influenza ; and medical countermeasures against chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threats.

 

BARDA is especially interested in developing medical countermeasures and devices suitable for use in at-risk populations such as children, pregnant women and the elderly.  However, BARDA will prioritize projects that provide benefits to everyone while also allowing for focused development projects or studies for at-risk populations. 

 

The use of countermeasures during response to a public health emergency may be more complicated than the use of comparable products during routine medical care.  In an emergency response, drugs or vaccines may need to be administered rapidly, under chaotic conditions, and with a limited number of trained medical personnel available.  Tracking and follow-up of individual patients may also be difficult.  In order to address these challenges, BARDA is seeking technologies through its BAA on Science and Technology Platforms Applied to Medical Countermeasure Development (Innovations) that will allow drugs or vaccines to be dispensed and administered quickly, safely, with limited contact with trained personnel, and without decreasing effectiveness of the countermeasure.

 

BARDA also is seeking to develop medical countermeasures to prevent or treat influenza  through its BAA for the Advanced Development of Medical Countermeasures for Pandemic Influenza. These medical countermeasures include personal protective equipment, such as masks and respirators to prevent influenza infection as well as all-hazards, full-featured continuous ventilators ; clinical influenza test systems and diagnostic tools; influenza therapeutics; and influenza vaccines. 

 

In addition, BARDA is seeking to develop medical countermeasures against CBRN threats through the BAA for the Advanced Research and Development of CBRN Medical Countermeasures. BARDA is focusing on medical countermeasures in the following areas of interest:  vaccines; antitoxins and therapeutics; antimicrobial drugs; radiological and nuclear threat countermeasures; chemical threat countermeasures; and diagnostics.

 

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an HHS leader in preparing the nation to respond to and recover from adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security.  Within ASPR, BARDA provides a comprehensive integrated portfolio approach to the advanced research and development, innovation, acquisition, and manufacturing infrastructure for vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products for public health emergency threats.

 

For more information on national public health and medical preparedness, visit www.phe.gov and to learn more about partnering with BARDA in public health preparedness visit www.medicalcountermeasures.gov.

 

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