Says biopharma researchers and scientists stand ready to support real solutions that will address patient drug costs, continue lifesaving science Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, the president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), released a statement today warning that an executive order to adopt foreign price controls on certain prescription medicines could “cripple” companies working to eradicate COVID-19 and lead to less patient access to lifesaving treatments. Dr. McMurry-Heath raised these and other concerns in a letter to President Trump, which urged the president to abandon any further implementation of the executive order imposing foreign price controls. Her full statement is below: “As the pandemic continues to worsen in the U.S., hitting more and more communities, the administration should be focused on doing everything it can to support those on the frontlines working to save lives, get our kids back to school and our economy back on track. While we strongly support today’s action to help reform a broken rebate system and ensure savings provided by drugmakers are passed along to patients, adopting foreign price controls by executive fiat will cripple the small, innovative companies developing the vaccines and therapies that will help end this pandemic and get the American people back to work.  "All across the country, there are scientists and researchers in our labs working day and night to end the COVID-19 pandemic. They are trying desperately to develop the scientific solutions we need to eradicate this devastating public health crisis. We will not overcome this pandemic or future ones if we seek short-sighted polices that adopt foreign price controls from systems that don’t value innovation, disrupt providers’ ability to deliver care and increase barriers to patient access. There is a reason that over half of all the science and drug development related to COVID-19 is coming from the U.S. “It is ironic, but perhaps not…

In response to attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s credibility and character, BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath issued the following statement: “As this global pandemic continues to wreak havoc, we must stand behind the scientists and researchers working tirelessly to eradicate this devastating disease. Nothing is more disheartening or disturbing than to see Dr. Anthony Fauci, a critical leader at a pivotal moment, maligned publicly and attacked personally. Dr. Fauci is a decent man, a brilliant scientist, and dedicated public servant. He has committed his life to advancing the power of science and promoting public health. We have benefited from his medical and scientific guidance for over 30 years, ever since his appointment by President Reagan. He has guided the world through HIV, Ebola, and SARS. We need his firsthand historical and scientific knowledge now more than ever. He does not deserve these attacks, which in the long run only undermine our response to this pandemic, and, in doing so, put more patients at risk. “We are facing a novel Coronavirus. So we are, by definition, learning as we go. And scientists, also by definition, must adapt as new information emerges. They use their expertise and experience to evaluate new data as it comes and then alter their advice to account for this new knowledge. Science is a process and it is a sign of our scientific success that we know more about COVID today than we did yesterday. Scientists fail when they don’t change in the face of new data, rather than when they do. Can you imagine a world in which scientists didn't change course as new understanding emerged? In my lifetime alone, the biotech industry has been able to triple the life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis, come close to ending the scourge of sickle cell anemia, and turn HIV into a chronic disease by listening to new information.                            …