Bioethics Committee

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BIO Staff Contact: Debra Aronson, Director, Bioethics

Committee Chairs: Joshua Boger, Co-chair, Chairman, President & CEO Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and
Rachel King, Co-chair, CEO GlycoMimetics, Inc.

Mission: BIO is committed to the socially responsible use of biotechnology to save or improve lives, improve the quality and abundance of food, and protect our environment. BIO's board of directors has adopted a Statement of Ethical Principles, and we continue to refine a comprehensive vision of ways to ensure biotechnology is used for the betterment of humankind and not abused.

Responsibilities:

• The Bioethics Committee is responsible for actively encouraging discussion of ethical and social implications of scientific developments in biotechnology. Biotechnology can greatly improve the quality of life, but we recognize that this new technology should be approached with an appropriate mixture of enthusiasm, caution and humility.
• The committee works with state, federal and international legislative and regulatory bodies to shape policies that foster safe, effective and beneficial products.
• The committee works with BIO staff to brief members of Congress and officials of governmental agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, other branches of the Department of Health and Human Services and the President's Council on Bioethics on bioethical matters.
• Committee members may be asked to develop bioethics-related position papers, white papers and educational materials.
• Committee members may be asked to formulate comments and testimony on various bioethics-related guidelines and regulations.

Policy Approval Process: Substantive matters designed to become the official position of BIO are sent as recommendations of the Bioethics Committee to the board of directors for consideration.

Issues: During the past few years, the Bioethics Committee has addressed such issues as stem cell research, cloning, global health, use of genetic information, medical records confidentiality and protection of human subjects.

Eligibility for Participation: To become a member of the Bioethics Committee, one must be employed by a company or organization that is a member of BIO.

Obligations: The committee meets four times each year. Work groups and subcommittees meet on an ad hoc basis to give comments throughout the year on papers, letters and other correspondence sent out on behalf of BIO's members.

Contact Information: Debra Aronson, Director of Bioethics, daronson@bio.org; Margarita Noriega, Coordinator, Bioethics & Intellectual Property, direct (202) 962-9227 and fax (202) 962-9201.

Addresses and Phone Numbers: 1201 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20024-2149; (202) 962-9200; fax: (202) 962-9201; Web site: www.bio.org.

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