Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, president & CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), released the following statement in response to a decision by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC12) to endorse a COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property waiver: “The agreement announced by the WTO will do nothing to increase COVID vaccination rates in the developing world, while at the same time setting a harmful precedent for the world’s ability to respond to the next pandemic. “It is unfortunate that trade officials in Geneva, including those from the United States, have fallen victim to a false narrative that intellectual property rights stand in the way of beating back the global COVID-19 pandemic. To the contrary: IP is an enabler of innovation and global scientific collaboration. It is what builds trust and fosters the partnerships needed to bring medical breakthroughs to patients around the globe. The decision at the WTO is nothing more than a distraction from the real work that needs to be done. “It is particularly disappointing to see the United States abandon its previous claims of bright lines on countries that they have identified as bad actors on IP. “Just this week, thousands of researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and investors from more than 65 countries convened in California to look for ways to partner and to work together to tackle the most pressing scientific challenges of our time: disease, climate, hunger. Actions by the WTO will make this work more challenging. “To date, there have been more than 12 billion COVID vaccines administered around the world. Even some of the countries that demanded an IP Waiver, including South Africa and India, now concede that there is adequate supply of affordable vaccines. In fact, hundreds of millions of doses have been turned away, including from countries across Africa.  “We need to be focusing on the real challenges we face. We need to work together to ensure that,…

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is pleased to announce the election of its new Executive Committee directors for the 2022-2023 term. BIO’s Board elections took place Monday, June 13 during the 2022 BIO International Convention hosted by BIO in San Diego, June 13-16, 2022. “On behalf of our entire BIO organization, I want to congratulate our incoming Board directors and section leaders,” said Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, President & CEO of BIO. “This is a critical time for our industry. Our BIO Board – especially one as diverse and multi-faceted as this one – will help drive policies that keeps pace with innovation’s promise to cure disease, nourish society, and protect our planet.” BIO’s Executive Committee directors for the 2022-2023 term are: Paul Hastings, Nkarta Therapeutics – Board Chair/Health Section Chair Elizabeth Lewis, Takeda Pharmaceuticals – Board Associate Vice Chair & Secretary Bradford Zakes, Ceravast Medical – BIO Board Treasurer Ted Love, Global Blood Therapeutics – Health Section Vice Chair Sylvia Wulf, AquaBounty Technologies – Agriculture & Environment Section Chair John Crowley, Amicus Therapeutics – Emerging Companies Section Chair Jeremy Levin, Ovid Therapeutics – Immediate Past Chair Erika Smith, ReNetX BIO – Emerging Companies Section Vice Chair Anna Rath, Vestaron Doug Doerfler, MaxCyte Stuart Arbuckle, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Christi Shaw, Kite, A Gilead Company Bill Sibold, Genzyme, A Sanofi Company Fritz Bittenbender, Genentech Roche Chris Boerner, Bristol Myers Squibb Eric Dube, Travere Therapeutics Sue Washer, Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC) Aamir Malik, Pfizer Jannie Oosthuizen, Merck Victor Bulto, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Bill Newell, Sutro BioPharma Additional directors who were confirmed as the Executive Advisory Board (EAB) to the Executive Committee: Ron Cohen, Acorda Therapeutics Rachel King, former BIO Board Chair John Maraganore, former BIO Board…

The licensing of university and nonprofit research has made a significant contribution to US gross domestic product (GDP), industrial gross output, and jobs over the last 25 years and underscores the importance of basic and applied research to the US economy, as well as the demand for public-private partnerships. The findings are based on an independent study released today and commissioned by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and AUTM, a global nonprofit that works to advance ideas from research institutions into the marketplace.  The report, “The Economic Contribution of University/Nonprofit Inventions in the United States: 1996-2020,” documents the sizable return that US taxpayers receive on their investment in federally funded research. It shows that, during a 25-year period, nonprofit patents and the subsequent licensing to industry bolstered US industry gross output by up to $1.9 trillion, US GDP by up to $1 trillion and supported up to 6.499 million jobs.“This report highlights the importance of public-private partnerships and the critical role of private investment within the life sciences industry,” said John A. Murphy III, Chief Policy Officer Deputy General Counsel, BIO. ”Long-term investment and partnerships in these scientific endeavors fuels biomedical innovation, which yields countless benefits to Americans in the form of life-saving medicines, environmental and agricultural products, and many more inventions. That’s on top of protecting millions of jobs and robust contributions to the U.S. and global economy. Protecting these relationships and the ability to share technology is absolutely crucial.” The findings are based on data gathered by AUTM in its Annual US Licensing Activity Survey and show a strong demand for public-private partnerships supporting new and improved products, as seen in the significant increase in licenses transferred from nonprofit organizations to industry. Those partnerships have grown from about…

The third annual report that examines diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the biotechnology industry launched today at the 2022 BIO International Convention. The report, “Measuring Diversity in the Biotech Industry: Tracking Progress in Small and Large Companies”, investigates the state of DEI in the biotechnology industry and includes representation data, current DEI approaches and initiatives, and data comparisons to previous reports. Some of the findings were discussed during the “Best Practices for Building an Inclusive Biotech Company” panel session at the BIO Convention. BIO partnered for the third consecutive year with Coqual, an industry-leading think tank devoted to DEI in the workplace. The report analyzes the findings from a voluntary survey of 99 BIO member companies fielded from November 2021 to January 2022. This year’s report shows progress, but also highlights the need for DEI improvements in the biotech sector. Of the responding companies, women now make up 49% of employees, compared to 47% in 2020 and 45% in 2019, but only 34% of executive teams and 20% of CEOs. Employees of color make up 38% of all employees, but only 24% of executive teams and 28% of CEOs. The survey found meaningful growth in some companies – more than 4 in 10 increased representation of executives of color by more than 5%. “BIO is committed to ensuring that all people are able to participate in – and benefit from – the biotech industry’s efforts to cure patients, protect the climate, and nourish humanity,” said BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. “This commitment begins with ensuring that the workforce reflects those our industry serves. We have more work to do, and BIO plays an important role as a thought leader and resource for the biotechnology industry.” Other key findings include: Most organizations (nearly 80%) indicate that attracting, recruiting, and promoting diverse talent are priorities of their DEI programs. Small and large…