New “100 Days of Innovation” Blueprint Outlines Priorities To End the Pandemic, Build American Resiliency
BIO to assess successes and challenges at its Digital Convention in June
As Congress and the new President lay out their aggressive “100 Day Plans,” The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today released a new blueprint highlighting goals to strengthen America’s innovation ecosystem, end the COVID-19 pandemic, and get more Americans back to work over the first 100 days.
BIO, one of the world’s leading voices of science and for science, believes the current pandemic as well as the ongoing climate crisis is putting science and biotechnology at the forefront of public policy. Under the direction of new president and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, the organization wants to raise the bar and set measurable and important goals.
The blueprint, which can be found here, includes the advocacy organization’s priorities for the first 100 days working with Congress and the Biden Administration. BIO aims to:
- Ensure a speedy transition and an expedited Senate confirmation process for agency leadership critical to advancing public health, nutrition, and environmental goals.
- Reengage as a leader on the world stage, including rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords.
- Develop and approve more vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to prevent and treat COVID-19.
- Promote robust and equitable patient access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
- Better prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks.
- Drive economic revival and resiliency through Adoption of Advanced Biotechnology Solutions.
In addition to these immediate actions, BIO calls on the federal government, working with state, local, and private sector partners, to conduct a comprehensive review of the COVID outbreak and pandemic response to identify additional steps that could and should have been taken to improve the nation’s response and recovery in the future.
BIO intends to look back at these goals during the BIO Digital Convention in June to assess progress and steps forward.
Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath made the following remarks on the release:
“Congress’ and President Biden’s actions in the next 100 days will be absolutely crucial towards ending this pandemic quickly, rebuilding our economy, and boosting health equity across the nation. BIO, along with the hundreds of companies and millions of researchers we represent, is uniquely positioned to help make some of these goals real.
“Science – and scientific solutions – are the way out of this pandemic and developing solutions for climate change. Many of BIO’s member companies have been hard at work for the better part of the last year discovering COVID-19 cures and treatments, and many still are committed to developing solutions to address global climate change.
“We remain committed to ushering in new waves of biomedical innovation and working with federal, state, and local partners to defeat the coronavirus and position ourselves for a stronger and more resilient future.”
Read the full blueprint here.