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Source: BusinessWire California Biomedical Community to Host Stanford Forum on Emerging Medical Technologies, the Value of Innovative Therapies and the Impact of Prop. 71 on Stem Cell Research PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2004-- Policymakers and Scientists Join Lifesciences Leaders for Summit on Sustaining the Golden State's Leadership in Medical Innovation California policy makers joined leading biomedical researchers, health policy officials and lifesciences industry leaders at Stanford University today for the California Healthcare Institute's (CHI) second annual California Healthcare Policy Forum. The two-day summit opened discussions on the value of innovative therapies to both public and private payers, emerging technologies being developed to meet unmet medical needs and the importance of Proposition 71 in advancing stem cell research. "Health care and medical innovation are high on the agenda of our state and our nation," said CHI president and CEO David Gollaher. "This forum brings together leaders who will address issues affecting not only the political and lifesciences communities, but more importantly, patients suffering from unmet medical needs. CHI believes that issues, such as stem cell research funding and the promotion of policies that foster biomedical innovation, are crucial to continuing the delivery of breakthrough medicines and technologies to patients in California and around the globe." CHI's 2004 California Healthcare Policy Forum includes a wide variety of speakers ranging from state and federal lawmakers, prominent biomedical industry leaders, public and private payer system representatives to world class researchers. One of the featured events is a roundtable discussion on California's leading role in the advancement of stem cell research with NBC Special Foreign Correspondent Bob Arnot, M.D., Prop. 71 Chairman Robert Klein, and Nobel Laureate Paul Berg, Ph.D. "Voter approval of Proposition 71 presents a distinct opportunity for California," said Paul Berg, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Stanford University School of Medicine. "This initiative enables California researchers, who include world leaders in biomedical research, to move forward in the quest for better understanding treatments and cures for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and ALS. State support for this critical research presents immense hope that stem cell science can help produce breakthroughs in diseases that are otherwise untreatable or incurable." The value of biomedical innovation is also a primary topic of discussion at the forum, as the cost of medicines and new technologies present challenges to both public and private payers. The Golden State's biomedical community is opening a dialogue with state and federal policymakers as well as payers and patients about how to reign in drug prices without harming innovation and casting a chilling effect on the venture capital funding needed to drive research and discovery. "By bringing together leaders from the worlds of business, academia, and politics, CHI's California Healthcare Policy Forum is intended to provide opportunities to explore the issues surrounding the value of medical innovations and patients' access to care," said Michael A. Mussallem, CHI chairman, and chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences. "The Golden State's biomedical community is eager to work with policymakers to ensure that we continue to deliver medical breakthroughs to the world and innovative treatments that reach all Californians who need them." About The California Healthcare Policy Forum The CHI California Healthcare Policy Forum will be in session Monday, November 8 through Tuesday, November 9 at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford University campus. The event is sponsored by Amgen, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Novartis, Pfizer and Wyeth. For more information, visit www.chi.org/policy_forum/2004. About CHI CHI represents more than 225 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI's mission is to advance responsible public policies that foster medical innovation and promote scientific discovery. CHI's web site is http://www.chi.org. Contacts California Healthcare Institute Molly Ingraham, 858-551-6677 [log in to unmask] or Dudley Productions John Dudley, 703-725-7027 [log in to unmask] http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_ view&newsId=20041108005041&newsLang=en ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn