Effort Can Lead to Improved Drug Safety, Diagnostics and Treatments
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Biotechnology Industry Organization
(BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement today
as BIO joined the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of
Health and a host of patient groups, industry organizations and private
companies in forming the Biomarkers Consortium under the auspices of the
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health:
"As leaders in the development of safe, effective and innovative new
therapies, BIO members look forward to contributing to the success of the
Biomarkers Consortium. Our industry will bring expertise in research and
development to assist the Consortium in identifying and validating new
biomarkers, and then bring to market innovative products that will help
enable improved treatments and the earlier and more accurate detection of
diseases.
"New biomarkers will improve the process of drug development in several
important ways. For example, biomarkers demonstrate potential to greatly
improve drug safety both pre- and post-market. Biomarkers can be used to
help identify potential toxicities associated with experimental compounds
much earlier in the drug development process. Biomarker-based clinical
tests can help physicians decide which therapies to use and monitor their
safety and effectiveness.
"Biomarkers will also help fulfill the promise of personalized medicine
-- which tailors treatments to individual patients -- by helping to predict
which individuals have a greater chance of benefit or risk when they use a
particular therapy. Our members are leaders across a spectrum of areas
critical to advancing personalized medicine and the science of biomarkers.
We are enthusiastic about contributing our expertise to the achievement of
the Consortium's goals and optimistic about the promise of this joint
effort for improving health and medicine.
"As this initiative moves forward, we will work together with our
partners in the Consortium to ensure the participation of all key
stakeholders including BIO member companies, which bring innovative
therapeutics, research tools and molecular diagnostics to market. Although
research is critical, moving from research to the development of actual
products that help patients must be our ultimate goal. It will be important
for the Consortium to recognize and address the essential role of strong
intellectual property rights in fostering innovation and commercialization
of healthcare products, including innovative research tools and diagnostics
that will help make the promise of personalized medicine a reality for
patients and their healthcare providers.
"The Biomarkers Consortium shows how private and public entities can
work together. We look forward to participating in this important effort."
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic
institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across
the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the
research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and
environmental biotechnology products. http://www.bio.org
Upcoming Events
* BIO Human Resources Conference 2006
Oct. 3-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV
* BIO InvestorForum 2006
Oct. 17-19, 2006 San Francisco, CA
* BIO-Europe 2006 International Partnering Conference
Nov. 6-8, 2006 Dusseldorf, Germany
* BIO International Convention
May 6-9, 2007 Boston, MA
SOURCE Biotechnology Industry Organization
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Related links:
http://www.bio.org
CONTACT:
Stephanie Fischer, +1-202-312-9263, or Jeff
Joseph, +1-202-962-9230, both of Biotechnology Industry
Organization
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