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Biotechs Look Forward To Greenwood Leadership By JOHN WILEN Bucks County Courier Times July 25, 2004 5:06 AM Local life sciences executives are lamenting the loss of a good friend in Congress, but seem confident Jim Greenwood's move to the helm of their most prominent trade association assures they will continue to have a strong voice inside the Beltway. "To have someone who is plugged in and has substantial experience ... is a plus for us," said Joseph Reiser, president and CEO of Locus Pharmaceuticals, a Blue Bell firm that uses computational technology to discover drugs. Greenwood on Thursday confirmed the rumor that had swirled around him all week: He's leaving Congress at the end of his term to become president of the Biotech Industry Organization, or BIO. BIO is a trade and advocacy group that has become one of the loudest voices in Washington for the biotech and drug development industries. It has more than 1,000 members, ranging from pharmaceutical giants like Merck and Wyeth to small development-stage firms like Locus and Doylestown-based Discovery Laboratories. BIO has been instrumental in pushing issues of importance to the life sciences industry, such as reform of the Food and Drug Administration - the federal agency that regulates the development and introduction of new drugs. Other BIO positions have been more controversial: The group has advocated embryonic stem cell research and genetically altered food products. "There have been a number of examples there where BIO has been a strong champion from a lobbying perspective," said Reiser. "They've made significant contributions to put the biotech industry on the map." Greenwood's positions have dovetailed with those of BIO and its members often in the past. The congressman voted to support embryonic stem-cell research, voted in favor of the cloning of human embryos for medical research, and voted against a bill that would require any private drug company that developed a drug using data developed by the Department of Health and Human Services or the National Institutes of Health to "enter into a reasonable price agreement." Greenwood was instrumental in pushing for FDA reform, said Robert Capetola, president and CEO of Discovery Laboratories. Greenwood is clearly happy to be moving to a group that advocates for issues he cares about. "I passionately believe in the promise of biotechnology to find cures and treatments for the diseases that force parents to watch their children suffer and die, and children to endure their parents' disintegration into the clutches of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases," Greenwood said in a prepared statement this week. And BIO is clearly happy to have someone with Greenwood's congressional savvy. "BIO, under Jim Greenwood's leadership, is now well-positioned and ready to be an even more persuasive voice for thousands of researchers, many from small innovative companies, as well as encouraging a regulatory climate in Washington that will help our industry bring even more cutting-edge health products to patients and consumers around the world," said BIO's chairman and CEO, Richard Pops, in a statement. Local industry insiders agree that while it's unsettling to lose a voice in Congress, Greenwood's new role at BIO can be nothing but a plus for the industry. "Jim Greenwood has been a tremendous voice for biotechnology," said Tim Block, director of the Jefferson Center for Biomedical Research at Delaware Valley College. "If he can bring that kind of talent and skill to BIO, we'll be in good hands." Greenwood's votes have drawn him high rankings from the Information Technology Industry Council, which says he voted their preferred position 94 to 100 percent of the time in recent years. He has also drawn the ire of the anti-abortion rights movement for his positions on stem cell research and cloning, in addition to his support for abortion rights. National Right to Life termed the amendment he offered that would have allowed cloning for experimental purposes "the Greenwood 'clone and kill' bill." Right-wing concerns haven't phased Greenwood's supporters, who have seen him as a strong antidote to what Capetola calls unscientific "quackery." They do, however, express some concerns about his replacement in Congress. "Sure, I worry about it," Block said. "You lose an excellent and efficient legislator." But Block thinks anyone who replaces Greenwood will do a good job representing the industry, given its importance to the area. "I'm hopeful, looking at the talent base in the area," Block said. Capetola expressed strong support for state Sen. Joe Conti, a possible Greenwood replacement on November's ballot. Conti has been as good a friend of the industry at the state level as Greenwood has been at the national level, Capetola said. Conti has focused a lot of attention on the industry, sponsoring the area's annual Regional Biotechnology Conference, pushing for a state biotech venture capital fund, and introducing legislation that would give companies tax credits for research and development investments. "If you look at what Joe Conti's done with PA BIO, he's been every bit as active as Jim Greenwood," Capetola said. "I think Conti would be an excellent choice." Of the other widely mentioned possible Greenwood replacement, Bucks County Commissioner Mike Fitzpatrick, Capetola said, "I have no experience." But, he added, there's no reason why Fitzpatrick, Conti or any other politician who fills Greenwood's seat can't represent the industry well: "As long as we have congressmen who understand science - and understand pressure groups that do not understand science - we'll be well-served." John Wilen can be reached at 215-345-3187 or [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Bucks County Courier Times http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-07252004-337001.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn