BIO campaign: ‘Invest in America. Vaccinate’

BIO launches a new campaign to explain why we vaccinate – and why it's good for America. We have details, plus how drug companies are investing in U.S. manufacturing, news on drug prices and IP, and more. (740 words, 3 minutes, 42 seconds)

BIO urges: ‘Invest in America. Vaccinate’

Immunization tamed measles, polio, and other childhood scourges, but dropping our vaccine vigilance allows resurgence of preventable diseases, explains BIO’s new campaign.

The “Invest in America. Vaccinate” website uses clear messaging and images from a recent, less healthy past to remind everyone what we lose if vaccination slows down.

Why it matters now: Declining vaccination rates allowed 884 new measles cases and 11 U.S. outbreaks, including one in the Southwest comprising the worst single outbreak since measles was eradicated in America in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A need for facts: At least half of American adults are uncertain about the veracity of false claims of vaccines causing autism, vitamin A preventing measles, or vaccines being more dangerous than measles infection, a new KFF survey finds.

Here are the facts: As BIO’s website explains, vaccination in the U.S. has enabled:

• Eradication of polio and smallpox.
• 83% reduction of whooping cough (pertussis).
• Near complete elimination of measles.
• Millions of lives saved and 508 million illnesses prevented.
• $4,637 in medical costs saved per person.

BIO’s view: “Decades ago, diseases like polio and measles brought suffering and death with no defense. Today, immunization represents the right and the ability to defend and protect those we love,” says the site. “But a growing group are letting preventable infectious diseases make a comeback.” 

Visit www.whywevaccinate.org to learn more.

Drug companies invest in manufacturing in the U.S.

BIO member pharma companies recently announced multi-billion-dollar U.S. manufacturing investments as the industry continues to grow.

The latest: Roche and its U.S. subsidiary Genentech on Tuesday announced a $50 billion investment in R&D and manufacturing sites in eight U.S. states—creating 12,000 jobs overall. Roche already directly employs more than 25,000 in the U.S. at 15 R&D centers and 13 manufacturing sites. Last week, Regeneron announced a $3 billion agreement to manufacture its biologics at FujiFilm’s Holly Spring, NC site. On Friday, Amgen announced a $900 million manufacturing expansion in Central Ohio.

Why it matters: As the Trump Administration threatens tariffs to force drug makers to manufacture in the U.S., drugmakers point out that manufacturing is already going strong here. Meanwhile, tariffs could add billions in costs for American patients, firms, and government programs—especially harming startups and small firms driving most of the U.S. biotech pipeline.

BIO says securing U.S. supply chains and maintaining leadership in medical innovation, requires expediting regulatory pathways, encouraging stronger capital formation, and protecting IP rights.

Other recent announcements by BIO members building U.S. plants and adding jobs:

• Novartis will spend $23 billion on 10 U.S. facilities.
• Johnson & Johnson announced plans to raise U.S. investments by 25%, to more than $55 billion over four years.
• Eli Lilly will spend $27 billion building four new manufacturing plants in the U.S.
• Merck opened a $1 billion vaccine manufacturing facility at its Durham, NC site in March.

BIO’s view: “Re-onshoring key parts of the biotechnology supply chain to the U.S. and our allies and strengthening the American manufacturing base should be a high priority,” according to BIO President & CEO John F. Crowley. “It will take years, though, for this shift and we need to be mindful of the negative consequences of these proposed tariffs.”

What Else to Read This Week

Biotech is facing critical IP issues. For World IP Day (Saturday), Hans Sauer, BIO’s Deputy General Counsel, VP for IP, gives an overview of the policy landscape in a Bio.News interview. 

A report commissioned by Congress investigates the possibilities of “genetic improvement of livestock to increase the efficiency and sustainability of animal agriculture.” Entitled “Heritable Genetic Modification in Food Animals,” the report notes that “heritable genetic modifications (HGMs), that can be passed onto subsequent generations,” could speed “genetic improvement in populations of food animals” and help us address the growing global demand for animal-derived foods, including meat, eggs and milk. It calls for further study into safety, regulation, and public attitudes toward HGMs in animals.

BIO participated in an NSCEB conference on economic and security implications of biotech. Tamra Spielvogel, BIO’s Senior Director for Climate Policy & Sustainability joined the “Industry Perspectives on the Bioeconomy” panel at a conference hosted by MITRE in collaboration with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB). The panel discussed NSCEB recommendations, and challenges and opportunities for the bioeconomy and biotechnology.

BIO’s Michele Oshman, Chief Patient Advocate & Head, Patient Advocacy Center of Excellence, gave the keynote at the World Orphan Drug Congress. This was followed by a panel, “The Next Frontier: The art of impactful storytelling in Rare Disease,” pictured below. Watch for more coverage this week on Bio.News.

Beltway Report

The Senate Appropriations Committee has scheduled a hearing entitled Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation for Wednesday morning.