The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today announced that former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary and former two-term Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack will receive the 12th annual George Washington Carver Award for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology. 

Washington, DC (May 17, 2019) – The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today applauds the Senate passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act (S. 1379). The legislation would re-authorize critical federal biodefense programs and agencies, including the BioShield Special Reserve Fund (SRF), the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The legislation also authorizes funding for pandemic influenza product development and procurement for the first time. The following statement may be attributed to BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood: “Over the past 16 years, federal biodefense programs have spurred the creation of dozens of medical countermeasures by the biotechnology industry, greatly improving our nation’s preparedness to respond to the many known and unknown chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN) facing our nation,” said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. “But as the number and scale of threats continues to grow, these programs are needed now more than ever." “This bipartisan legislation will provide critical flexibility and predictability for government agencies and their private sector partners by authorizing increased, multi-year funding for the BioShield Special Reserve Fund and by empowering BARDA to better address CBRN threat agents, pandemic influenza, emerging infectious diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. The investments in preparedness and medical countermeasure development enabled by this legislation will save lives, enhance our response efforts, and be more cost effective in an emergency.” “I thank Senators Richard Burr, Bob Casey, as well as HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray for their bipartisan leadership crafting and advancing this critical legislation. In addition, I applaud Senator Tammy Baldwin for her championship of pandemic influenza preparedness,…

Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released a new report, The State of Innovation in Highly Prevalent Chronic Diseases Volume IV: Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutics, the fourth in a series on the innovation landscape of highly prevalent, chronic diseases. This volume takes an in-depth look at the state of innovation for therapeutics in Alzheimer’s disease, which is expected to affect more than 13.8 million people in the United States by 2050 and cost well over $1 trillion annually.

Washington, D.C. (May 8, 2019) – The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced an agreement to feature Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-funded early-stage biomedical companies in an Innovation Zone at the 2019 BIO International Convention. The Innovation Zone companies, focused on drug discovery, diagnostics and other therapeutic platform technologies, will have dedicated exhibit space and participate in BIO’s One-on-One Partnering™ system. Select companies will make 15-minute company presentations in the BIO Business Forum. “The theme for this year’s Convention sets a perfect tone for the Innovation Zone: It Starts with One. One idea, one vision, one sleepless night – that’s how breakthrough medicines and technologies are first imagined, and that’s why our partnership with NIH to sponsor companies focused on early stage R&D is so important,” said BIO’s President and CEO, Jim Greenwood. “Joining us this year will be 80 SBIR-funded companies, all of which have the potential to produce cutting-edge technologies that could change the way we manage the world’s most devastating diseases. I look forward to learning from these emerging biotech innovators and helping them commercialize their potentially game-changing technologies.” The SBIR program provides U.S. federal funding to small businesses engaged in research and development with the potential for commercialization. Companies are rigorously vetted through the NIH SBIR peer review process prior to receiving the funding.  “NIH strongly believes in supporting innovative and breakthrough life science technology development through the SBIR program. The BIO International Convention continues to be an ideal place to highlight our companies. The SBIR companies showcased in this year's ‘Innovation Zone’ show some of the most promising technologies in our portfolio that we hope will achieve commercial success and significantly advance and…

Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood today expressed support for a U.S. House of Representatives letter, authored by Representatives Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) and Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), requesting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler immediately end the practice of granting small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for large or unqualified refiners.