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“Biotech is climate tech” is the message of today's new episode of the I am BIO Podcast—plus, a BIO member’s promising drug targeting an ultra-rare disease with unmet need will get FDA review. (517 words, 2 minutes, 35 seconds) |
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‘Biotech is climate tech’ |
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Today’s new episode of the I am BIO Podcast explores the critically important role of biotech in addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions in health, agriculture, and other sectors.
We cannot save lives “at the detriment of the environment,” says Andy Campbell, Associate Director of Corporate Real Estate for United Therapeutics, which develops treatments for pulmonary hypertension and cancer. The company has five net-zero facilities; its Maryland HQ “The Unispehre” is the largest site-powered net-zero commercial building in the U.S.
Net-zero milestones: United Therapeutics partnered with Tesla to build the first net-zero cold storage warehouse that meets Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and it just broke ground on a manufacturing facility built with decarbonized materials.
“If you care about ending hunger and food insecurity across the globe, then you have to care about what we are doing in technology innovations as well because you can't do one without the other,” says Tamra Spielvogel, BIO’s Climate Policy Director, discussing how COP28 highlighted the role of biotech.
We must mention methane—another major GHG addressed at COP28 by the U.S. government and BIO. Biotech is helping to reduce methane by improved rice farming and animal feed that limits cow belches.
BIO members are leading the way—such as Virent, which is advancing sustainable aviation fuel, and LanzaTech, which is recycling waste carbon into consumer products.
The bottom line: “Biotech companies are at the forefront of driving new and innovative technologies to address climate change,” says podcast host, BIO Deputy VP Theresa Brady. “Biotech is climate tech.”
Listen to the episode at www.bio.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. |
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Patient advocates help FDA decide to review ultra-rare disease drug |
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After urging from families, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review a drug targeting an ultra-rare disease affecting about 150 people in the United States, the drugmaker said yesterday.
The condition: Barth syndrome, a genetic condition that impacts about one in a million globally, enlarges the heart, weakens muscles, and shortens life expectancy, with many patients dying in childhood.
The innovator: Stealth BioTherapeutics, a BIO member, specializes in treatments for rare genetic diseases caused by dysfunctions in mitochondria, the source of our body’s energy found in nearly every cell.
The innovation: With positive safety and efficacy data, Stealth’s Barth candidate elamipretide received FDA Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations. People with Barth syndrome who received elamipretide had more than 40% improvement in both heart and muscle function, the Barth Syndrome Foundation said.
The obstacle: The disease’s ultra-rarity meant Stealth BioTherapeutics could only recruit 12 people for its clinical trial, though trials usually enroll thousands, ABC News reported. The FDA agreed to review the therapy after patients and families lobbied for action.
What’s next: The FDA awarded the elamipretide application standard review. Stealth BioTherapeutics said it’s asking FDA to consider priority review, given the unmet need targeted by the drug. |
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President Biden’s Tuesday: Hosting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit that will focus on defense cooperation, per the Associated Press.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate Finance Health Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing, “Closing Gaps in the Care Continuum: Opportunities to Improve Substance Use Disorder Care in the Federal Health Programs.” |
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