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Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

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BIO appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Request for Comments issued by the U.S. Trade Representative on objectives to be pursued in the negotiation of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement.&nbsp;</p>

Introduction

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Request for Comments issued by the U.S. Trade Representative on objectives to be pursued in the negotiation of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement.  BIO applauds the U.S. and EU governments for their courage and ambition in launching an initiative that holds tremendous promise for the long-term competitiveness of the Transatlantic economy, and which can contribute specifically to shared U.S. and EU leadership with regard to innovative technologies.

BIO represents more than 1,100 companies, academic centers and research institutions involved in the research and development of innovative biotechnology products and services.  Our members are primarily small- and medium-sized enterprises working to develop and commercialize cutting-edge products in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, energy, and the environment.  Since its inception roughly 30 years ago, the biotechnology industry has spurred the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the United States and Europe, and millions more through indirect employment.  

The industry has developed hundreds of innovative products that are helping to heal, feed, and fuel the world.  In the healthcare sector alone, the industry has developed and commercialized more than 300 biotechnology therapies, cures, vaccines and diagnostics that are helping more than 325 million people worldwide who are suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, and numerous other serious diseases and conditions.  Another 400 biotechnology medicines are in the pipeline.  In the agricultural field, biotechnology innovations are growing the economy worldwide by simultaneously increasing food supplies, conserving natural resources of land, water and nutrients, and increasing farm income.  Within the field of industrial biotechnology, biotech companies are leading the way in creating conventional biofuels, and next generation advanced biofuels, which can be produced from forest residues, algae, municipal solid waste, or other renewal sources of biomass, without compromising the environment.  Renewable chemicals and biobased product platforms are providing real opportunities to create green jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil, increase energy security, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions... 

 

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