Zika

After a lull, the Zika virus was back in headlines early last week, as the Florida Department of Health confirmed the first sexually transmitted Zika case of 2017 in Pinellas County. The release from the department said the individual who was tested positive had not traveled, but the partner had...

Over the next 20 to 30 years, the world will suffer a pandemic with the potential “to bring humanity to its knees,” epidemiologist Larry Brilliant, M.D., told CNN in April. He was talking about new strains of influenza found in birds across the world. Yes, it’s the flu — not...

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INO) said Thursday it’s observed a 100-percent antibody response in a phase I study for a Zika virus vaccine and a 92 percent antibody response in a phase I study for a MERS vaccine. The findings were presented at a Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness...

Shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INO) spiked as high as $7.64 in early Wednesday trading following an update from the company on its Zika vaccine study. Inovio reported that the company has seen a robust immune response to the Zika vaccine in human volunteers not infected with Zika...

Last Tuesday, Heat Biologics Inc (NASDAQ: HTBX) announced its collaboration with the University of Miami to research a Zika virus vaccine. The research will implement the existing gp96 platform. Essentially, gp96 is a molecule present in all human cells, which interacts with proteins to trigger an...

An increasing number of confirmed cases of the Zika virus inside the U.S. has Americans taking notice. The latest data from TickerTags indicates that Zika may soon have a major impact on at least one U.S. market. TickerTags monitors social media sites to identify trends by searching for words...

It’s hard to find a silver lining following news that sends a stock crashing 84.5 percent in one day. However, following devastating news that the Phase III RESOLVE trial of its RSV vaccine failed to deliver the desired results, Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX) shareholders are looking for any...

While JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) faces exciting growth opportunities, its shares already reflect Zika fears, Imperial Capital’s Michael Derchin said in a report. He initiated coverage of the company with an Outperform and $21 price target. JetBlue’s shares have lost...

Congress is back in Washington this week to work on completing a spending bill ahead of a September 30 deadline. Not surprisingly, not only is Congress expected to miss the deadline for the bill, lawmakers can’t agree on the duration of a stopgap spending bill. The spending bill will be the...

The U.S. Congress failed to pass a Zika-virus funding package ahead of the scheduled July 15 recess. A $1.1 billion package was on the table but was ultimately blocked and shut down by a vote of 52 to 48 as the bill contained politically motivated language. Related Link: Will Senate Recess Without...

Florida Governor Rick Scott is reportedly in South Florida this week after three more cases of non-travel-related Zika virus transmission were reported. The new transmissions bring the total number of locally-contracted cases up to 43. While that number is still extremely low considering the huge...

Zika-related stocks were surging higher on Monday following reports that the virus has spread to Singapore. According to CNN, 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus has been confirmed in the Asian country. Among those affected, seven patients are still showing signs of the virus, but the rest...

The Zika virus continues to dominate headlines and the fact there is no known cure has many people worried. Perhaps more worrisome is the fact that federal funding allocated towards research could run out by the end of the month. However, President Barack Obama and his administration announced...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent ten warning letters to online marketers selling products that reportedly offer protection from the Zika virus. Even as the FTC issued a whip, Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX) disclosed that the FDA has issued Emergency Use Authorization for its multiplex...