BIO JOINS NEW BIOMARKERS CONSORTIUM
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 5, 2006) -- Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement today as BIO joined the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and a host of patient groups, industry organizations and private companies in forming the Biomarkers Consortium under the auspices of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health:
“As leaders in the development of safe, effective and innovative new therapies, BIO members look forward to contributing to the success of the Biomarkers Consortium. Our industry will bring expertise in research and development to assist the Consortium in identifying and validating new biomarkers, and then bring to market innovative products that will help enable improved treatments and the earlier and more accurate detection of diseases.
“New biomarkers will improve the process of drug development in several important ways. For example, biomarkers demonstrate potential to greatly improve drug safety both pre- and post-market. Biomarkers can be used to help identify potential toxicities associated with experimental compounds much earlier in the drug development process. Biomarker-based clinical tests can help physicians decide which therapies to use and monitor their safety and effectiveness.
“Biomarkers will also help fulfil the promise of personalized medicine- which tailors treatments to individual patients- by helping to predict which individuals have a greater chance of benefit or risk when they use a particular therapy. Our members are leaders across a spectrum of areas critical to advancing personalized medicine and the science of biomarkers. We are enthusiastic about contributing our expertise to the achievement of the Consortium’s goals and optimistic about the promise of this joint effort for improving health and medicine.
“As this initiative moves forward, we will work together with our partners in the Consortium to ensure the participation of all key stakeholders including BIO member companies, which bring innovative therapeutics, research tools and molecular diagnostics to market. Although research is critical, moving from research to the development of actual products that help patients must be our ultimate goal. It will be important for the Consortium to recognize and address the essential role of strong intellectual property rights in fostering innovation and commercialization of healthcare products, including innovative research tools and diagnostics that will help make the promise of personalized medicine a reality for patients and their healthcare providers.
“The Biomarkers Consortium shows how private and public entities can work together. We look forward to participating in this important effort.”
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. www.bio.org
Upcoming Events
BIO InvestorForum 2006
Oct. 17–19, 2006 San Francisco, CA
BIO-Europe 2006 International Partnering Conference
Nov. 6–8, 2006 Dusseldorf, Germany
BIO International Convention
May 6–9, 2007 Boston, MA
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