COVID-19 – An Enigmatic Pandemic: Is There An End in Sight?
When:
Thursday, December 17, 5:00pm-7:00pm ET

In January 2020, a novel virus thought to originate from zoonotic transmission from bats into humans was reported to be spreading in Asia. In March 2020, a public health emergency was implemented in the United States, and travel restrictions to and from Europe were put in place. Since that time, a substantial yet heterogeneous set of global efforts have been employed with varying degrees of success. These have included:
- A set of protection-oriented measures ranging from public lockdowns, social distancing requirements, and mask/personal protective equipment (PPE) mandates
- Use of its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) protocols by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a goal to incentivize rapid development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines
- Rapid deployment of guidance documents by the FDA to support manufacturers in their development of the aforementioned diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines
- A substantial drug-repurposing effort in order to use already-FDA approved drugs and biologics for COVID-19 treatment in an off-label fashion
- A commitment from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide coverage for COVID-19 diagnostics and treatments
- Should the FDA use its EUA procedures to sanction the use of COVID-19 vaccines?
- Have the public health emergency measures implemented been effective and should they be more standardized from state to state and country to country?
- Why has the pandemic had a disproportionately negative impact on minority populations?
- Assuming that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is developed, how should it be rationed initially, assuming a limited supply?
- How should approved COVID-19 treatments and vaccines be priced and who should pay for their utilization?
- Should reimbursement policy be based on individual factors including the ability to pay?
Panelists
The panel will be moderated by Darin Detwiler, DLP, Associate Teaching Professor, who will also speak to the food safety and supply chain issues caused by the pandemic.- Stephen Amato, PhD, MBA, RAC –Faculty Director and Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
- Wm (Trey) Putnam, PhD, RAC – Professor, Departments of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Director, Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Center, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
- Steven Kates, PhD – Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Assistant Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
- David Mahoney, JD – Senior Counsel and Patent Attorney, Indigo, Assistant Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
- Sam Rajkumar, RN, MSRA, RAC – Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, Exact Imaging, Adjunct Faculty, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University – Toronto Regional Campus
- Kathy Reinke – Consumer & COVID-19 treatment advocate, Executive Assistant, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University