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by Dan Eramian
This column is excerpted from a speech given by Mr. Eramian
at the Southern BIO Summit in Dallas
Half of all biotech medicines have been approved in just the
last five years. So while the investments—and the risks—are large, the tens of
billions of dollars invested over the last two decades in the biotechnology
industry are now beginning to pay off. But let's be clear about this:
Biotechnology is not just another industry, and our
impact today and tomorrow cannot—and should not—be defined or predicted by
financial measures alone.
Other dimensions measure this industry's growth: political
and cultural impact and acceptance.
The growth of political interest in biotechnology comes from
two positive factors: first, the public's increasing awareness of our products'
benefits in their lives, and second, our position as an economic and employment
driver wherever we do our research or build our facilities. This was highlighted
by President Bush's overwhelmingly supportive speech at BIO 2003, when he said,
"My administration is committed to working with your industry so that the great
powers of biotechnology can serve the true interests of our nation and
mankind."
The president's message of encouragement and support was
echoed by other major political leaders at that same convention, including the
FDA commissioner, health and human services secretary, homeland security
secretary and Senate majority leader. That's a powerhouse political lineup to
have as cheerleaders. But as Tip O'Neil used to say, all politics are local,
and biotech's political strength is also being exercised outside Washington.
At BIO 2003, nine governors were personally pitching their
states' virtues for new biotechnology enterprises. A record 17 states hosted
elaborate pavilions on our exhibit floor, and more than 30 states were
represented either by economic development agencies or
state biotech associations. So, despite the fiscal crises in most statehouses—or
perhaps because of it—support and recruitment efforts for biotech business are
growing in a big way. But biotech has also gone global.
Among the 55 countries from Europe
and the Pacific Rim active at BIO 2003 were big names,
including Germany
and Australia,
and small countries, such as Slovenia,
Kenya, Morocco,
Croatia and Kazakhstan.
Many of these nations are investing heavily in what they
rightly perceive as the transformative technology for their economies. And they
are thinking really big. In Singapore,
for example, a Biopolis research park is attracting big pharma and start-ups
alike. India, a
first-time exhibitor at BIO 2003, is also racing to build critical mass in
biotech. Already, the state of Karnatak boasts 85 biotech companies. And in Africa,
scientists are developing hardier, more nutritious crops, in the hopes of
igniting what renowned geneticist Florence Wambugu calls a gene revolution. The
political power of biotechnology is now measured globally, as more governments
seek to build new economic foundations.
There's another reason biotech is big news. Government
decision-makers see value in the life-enhancing products the science creates.
President Bush gave the industry three presidential orders in June: one, end
hunger; two, cure disease; and three, protect America.
Delivering the Goods
I believe we are well on our way to delivering the goods.
Biotechnology is improving staple crops; tackling both rare and widespread
health problems; taking on defense or security-related projects; changing environmental
rehabilitation; and transforming industrial production, including for such
consumer goods as faded blue jeans, detergents, plastic cups, polyester,
fructose for soft drinks, vitamins, antibiotics, paper and fuel.
The other non-Wall Street measure of biotechnology's growth
and position in our lives may ultimately be the most important: the deepening
cultural and public influence of the technology. We see this most obviously in
day-to-day news coverage. Fifty years ago, not a single major newspaper covered
the story of Crick and Watson's explanation of DNA's structure after their
article ran in Nature. People were more interested in nuclear energy and bombs
than in biology. Today, every major newspaper organization has reporters
assigned specifically to biotechnology. We are "news" to editors everywhere,
and that interest can only mushroom with our society's interest in health.
Biotechnology has also taken hold of the public imagination
like atomic physics did in the '40s and '50s, and space exploration in the '60s
and '70s. You can see the shift in the popular press and in science fiction.
Just think about some of the recent blockbuster movies and books incorporating
biotechnology. The bite of a genetically modified spider transforms Peter Parker
into a new Spider-Man. The new Hulk results from a biotechnology experiment
gone awry. The original Spider-Man and Hulk were the result of radiation—not
biotechnology. Michael Crichton's Prey deals with nanotechnology run amok. Even
Danielle Steele got into the act, with a book called The Klone and I.
Meanwhile, some of the science-fiction elements of the
technology are, in fact, becoming reality. Almost a decade after Jurassic
Park hit the screen, the San Diego
Zoo worked with a biotechnology company to create a clone of an extinct
species—the banteng—using a stored DNA sample. The Genetic Savings and Clone, a
Texas company, aims to develop a
pet cloning business and last year put pictures of CC the kitten on every front
page in America.
And somewhere in between fact and fiction are the sensational stories about
using Ted Williams' DNA to make batting champ clones as well as the Raelians
claiming to clone humans. Beyond the sensationalism, however, it's clear that
biotechnology has become part of the cultural and economic landscape.
As new political credibility and public
interest measure and spur biotech growth, a delicate framework of credibility
and trust must be maintained. And that happens only when state, federal
and global political decision-makers view us as good partners and our products
as good news.
BIO works every day to keep the benefits of our science in
the public eye and the political tides rising in our favor.
Dan Eramian is BIO's vice president of communications.
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