BOSTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today John C. Lechleiter,
Ph.D., president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), provided
insight into the future of life sciences and a roadmap for ensuring that
key players' significant investments in the sector are rewarded. He made
his remarks to the Massachusetts Biz/Bio Conference, a gathering of
policymakers, business leaders and academics, under the theme "Economic
Prosperity through Scientific Discovery." He suggested that the Boston area
provides a template for other communities across America, citing reports
from Northeastern University that show that Massachusetts has enjoyed a 10
percent rise in the number of biopharmaceutical jobs while there has been a
25 percent decline in overall manufacturing jobs in the first half of the
decade. But those gains and others rely on public policies that support
growth in the life sciences, he said.
"Massachusetts really stands out for the approach that you've taken to
developing the life-sciences sector," said Lechleiter - a sector he said is
in "a Golden Age of discovery." He continued: "I believe that we [in the
U.S.] are being challenged as never before, to make urgent and
unprecedented policy decisions about a very wide range of issues that will
determine not just the location, but also the speed, quality, and course of
innovation in the life sciences. Government and public policy will be the
focus of much of this decision-making."
Among the range of public policies that bear on whether and how biotech
investments pay off, the intellectual property protections the government
affords new medications ranks among the top of the list, he said.
Intellectual property protections for a class of medications called
"biologics," is a policy battle now just heating up on Capitol Hill.
Lechleiter noted that a third of the new molecules in Lilly's development
pipeline are not the traditional, chemical ("small molecule") compounds,
but rather "large molecule" drugs synthesized from biological sources. Many
other innovative companies are investing in these molecules, as well. He
urged Congress to act decisively in ensuring that intellectual property and
data around biologics are appropriately protected by passing the "Pathway
for Biosimilars Act" (H.R. 5629). Without such protections, he said, "the
rationale for such investment will simply collapse in many cases."
Lechleiter further called on policymakers to support fixing the
country's immigration system to allow top-notch talent to come to the U.S.
to foster innovation and research. And he stressed the importance of
transparency on the part of regulators in setting their expectations and
requirements of drug developers.
The Biz/Bio Program was established in 2004 to build "bridges of
understanding" between key sectors - from government and financial
interests to academic and pharmaceutical/biotech leaders - to establish and
maintain a healthy environment for building and sustaining local and
regional bioscience clusters.
The full text of Lechleiter's speech can be obtained at http://www.lilly.com.
About Lilly
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by
applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from
collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in
Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and
information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional
information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com.
(Logo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )
C-LLY
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Via: Healthcare
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