As the world contends with the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19, getting more people vaccinated and boosted is all the more essential. Unfortunately, however, many state legislatures have presented a slew of anti-vaccine legislation—and this seems unlikely to change in 2022. "Over 1…

With the new Congress comes new priorities that are in large part dictated by the leadership in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. At the top of the agenda is confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, including passing the $1.9 trillion relief package being proposed by the Biden…

This week marked the beginning of a new era in U.S. politics with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. In his inauguration speech, President Biden made it clear that confronting COVID-19 is a priority of his administration, stating, “We must set aside the…

The 22nd annual BIO CEO & Investor Forum kicked off today with a Welcome and Update on BIO's 2020 Initiatives on Behalf of the Industry given by Jeremy Levin, CEO of Ovid Therapeutics Chair of the Board of Directors of BIO. The industry was established in 1970’s during an era of bipartisan…

In a story entitled, “CMS Blames Medicare Part B Hikes on Drug Costs,” writers for Politico Pulse note: “The agency [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] on Friday announced a $9 monthly premium increase and $13 annual deductible hike, but argued that the White House is working to bring…

Supporters of Speaker Pelosi’s extreme drug pricing bill (H.R. 3) want us to believe that they can destroy the biopharmaceutical industry and still produce new cures and treatments for patients in need. The crux of this fairy tale is the promise by supporters of H.R. 3 to reinvest “savings” from…

Supporters of Speaker Pelosi’s drug pricing plan (H.R. 3) claim the bill will discourage the development of so-called “me too” drugs. For example, Rep. Donna Shalala was recently quoted as saying:  “I think it actually will reduce me-too drugs … I think [pharmaceutical companies] are going to…

Representing all facets of the patient stakeholder community, participants in BIO’s eighth Patient and Health Advocacy Summit (#BIOSummit19) came together to proclaim: “I am BIO.” But as Dr. Julie Gerberding, executive vice president and chief patent officer at Merck and Co., who acted as the event…

For the FDA, engagement with patients, caregivers and patient advocacy organizations is a vital part of the drug development and review process. However, how that engagement happens can determine how successful it is. This was the key question addressed by the “Practices and Principles: Navigating…

On Tuesday, October 8, BIO formally announced that its President and CEO Jim Greenwood would be stepping down from the world's largest biotechnology organization in January 2021. In a letter to BIO staff, Greenwood reflected on his rise to BIO and the accomplishments the organization has achieved…