"The highest-visibility issues for biotechnology this election surround health care reform and patent issues," says IBA director of communications Eric Christensen. Financ- ing issues are also critical to the industry, according to Christensen and others.
On health care reform, the IBA agenda calls for a "quality-driven, pluralistic system," one serving the broadest population possible while preserving the widest range of patient choice and avoiding a one-payor system that might be overregulated and might stifle innovation. The group wants all "medically necessary therapies and pharmaceuticals" available to patients in such a system, including all Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, group C cancer drugs, and treatments published in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
Opposes Regulation The agenda opposes proposed laws aimed at regulating specific segments of the biotechnology industry under the banner of health care reform. (here, IBA has suggested that an overall health care reform strategy would be preferable to highly targeted ...
