BIO Applauds Senate Passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act

Legislation will strengthen pipeline of medical countermeasures
against serious public health threats

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–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, which will significantly bolster our
nation’s ability to respond to the emergence of novel influenza viruses.”

About BIO

BIO is the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology
companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and
related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other
nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of
innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental
biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO
International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the
biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and
partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW
is BIO’s blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the
BIO Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe
to the BIO Newsletter.

Contacts

Daniel Seaton
202-470-5207
Web: www.bio.org
Blog:
www.biotech-now.org
Twitter:
@IAmBiotech