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New polling data shows registered voters support Accelerated Approval—and hold policymakers responsible for ensuring access to new treatments. Plus: drug prices, food supply chains, and Glioblastoma (GBM) Awareness Day on a busy Friday. (702 words, 3 minutes, 30 seconds)
P.S. It’s not too late to register for BIO Asia-Taiwan, happening July 27-31 both in Taipei and online—but hurry, because pre-registration closes on Wednesday, July 20! Get more details and register now. |
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Voters overwhelmingly support Accelerated Approval, poll finds |
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Registered voters in five states overwhelmingly support the Accelerated Approval pathway, according to new polling data conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of BIO—here’s what we found and why it matters. The key finding: “Voters overwhelmingly support the pathway and are concerned with the Administration’s and Congress’ attempts to deny or limit patient access to new medical breakthroughs,” found the polling data. |
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Who did they survey? Morning Consult polled registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, where as many as 69-78% expressed concern about Medicare’s recent decision to limit coverage of drugs approved through the pathway.
To catch up: Medicare announced in April that they would only cover a breakthrough Alzheimer’s therapeutic for patients in a clinical trial—a decision that experts say would harm not only patients today but also future cures, as Bio.News reported.
Why it matters: Midterms are coming up in just a few months—and a majority of surveyed registered voters hold their elected officials “very” or “somewhat” responsible for ensuring access to drugs and said they would be less likely to support their Senator in November if they voted to make it harder for people with Medicare to access new medicines. |
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More Reading:
More Health Care News: The Wall Street Journal (Opinion): A price that isn’t soaring: prescription drugs
“Prescription drug prices are rising more slowly than almost all other items,” writes the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board. “Yes, the same drug prices that are the target of so much Washington denunciation rose a mere 0.1% last month. This is not a one-time event. Drug prices are up a mere 2.5% over the past year.” |
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Glioblastoma (GBM) Awareness Day shines a light on what the National Brain Tumor Society calls “the most common, complex, treatment-resistant, and deadliest type of brain cancer.” Join the National Brain Tumor Society on Capitol Hill on July 20 to hear from Dr. Douglas Lowy, Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute, as well as policymakers, patients, caregivers, and researchers for the first time since 2019—click here for details and registration.
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A food crisis is coming – and climate change will make it worse |
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And we need to incentivize the adoption of innovative biotech tools to respond, says BIO in comments ahead of today’s House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis hearing on food supply chains. The key message: “[T]he impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on global food prices pales in comparison to the impact climate change will have on food supplies in the future,” says BIO in comments submitted to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
21% of agricultural production is already affected by climate change, says BIO, citing research published in Nature Climate Change, “equivalent to losing the last seven years of productivity growth.”
We’re seeing this daily—from heat and drought battering wheat in India, risotto rice in Italy, and cattle in Kansas.
Biotech can provide “solutions and tools” to “increase crop yields,” “improve carbon sequestration,” “reduce water use,” “reduce food waste,” and “bolster animal welfare,” among others.
But we “must incentivize the adoption”—“and streamline and expedite regulatory pathways for breakthrough technology solutions,” continues BIO. This includes passing the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which can help producers solve the technical entry barriers to participating in carbon credit markets and incentivize the adoption of modern agricultural techniques and innovative technologies.
The bottom line: “To meet the challenge of climate change, and foster resiliency and sustainability throughout the agricultural value chain, it is crucial to lead with science and U.S. innovation,” as BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath has said. More Agriculture and Environment News:
Gingko Bioworks: Gingko publishes inaugural sustainability report
The BIO member’s “inaugural report is guided by key ESG frameworks and standards (e.g., the Global Reporting Initiative and Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics), as well as a third-party led materiality assessment.” |
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President Biden’s Friday: This morning, he met with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and visited sites in Israel. He’ll travel to Saudi Arabia today to meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: We’re keeping an eye on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis hearing, Climate Smart from Farm to Fork: Building an Affordable and Resilient Food Supply Chain; see BIO’s comments above. |
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