Many people want their home to be a natural, refreshing, quiet and luxurious place – far from old science fiction movies’ depiction of the 2000s.

A key factor driving the market’s growth is the rising R&D architecture in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. The global pharmaceutical …

On July 4^th across the country people will be celebrating the United States of America’s independence and birth. Many celebrations will feature hot dogs, hamburgers and other types of meat. As the past is celebrated, however, the future of Independence Day cookouts may not be present in people’s minds.

Recent innovation in biotechnology has allowed companies to develop alternative proteins using animal stem cells. Right now, there are only a few companies working with, producing and selling this type of meat, including Impossible Foods and Memphis Meats. A third company, Finless Foods, is even looking to produce fish without the need for tackle and reel.  As these companies continue to innovate – and another object of forward-thinking innovation becomes reality – let’s have a look at some of the reasons why researchers are looking at biotechnology to develop alternative proteins:

• In 2050, the world’s population will reach about 9 billion people. As the population sky rockets so will the demand for protein. And in a world where the amount of land available is also decreasing (livestock already occupies 70% of the arable land), biotechnology can develop safe, consumable alternative protein that could help meet this increased demand.
• Raising livestock requires a lot of water and feed and releases greenhouse gases, which is detrimental to the environment. Developing alternative proteins would provide a more environment friendly alternative to current farming techniques.
• As the human population continues to grow, so does the diversity of diets. Becoming more and more popular are meat-less, vegetarian or other diets that do not allowfor the consumption of meat from animals. The introduction of alternative proteins could help meet demands for protein for an array of diets.
• Alternative proteins are made in sterile environments, reducing the risk for diseases or pathogens, like Salmonella or Listeria, significantly.

But, as with any new innovation there are initial drawbacks. High production costs may be a concern for those companies producing alternative proteins, but since 2013 the cost of an alternative protein burger has dropped substantially from $325,000 to a mere $11.36. Another potential drawback is the potential to scale up protein production to meet demand. However, new procedures are beingdeveloped that can grow a lot more meat by improving cell growth.

Credit: Impossible Foods

The innovation for alternative protein is happening rapidly Thirty years from now, people may be grilling and eating alternative proteins just like they grill hotdogs and hamburgers today. But ultimately, whether or not that will happen is in the hands of the consumer. Will consumers accept the benefits and idea of eating lab-grown meat or will this innovative biotechnology become another fad that flames out?

For more information and statistics on potential benefits check out this info-graphic from Labiotech.eu.

When investors think of biotech stocks, visions of Amgen (AMGN) and Gilead (GILD) tend to dance in their heads. These companies aren’t just among …

“If you work for construction, don’t show up in dress shoes. If you’re a porn star, don’t put anything on! That sounds like dressing for success to me.”

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JC Mounduix was also filmed putting his hands over a male housemate’s clothed genitals as he received a massage.

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As we see time and time again, health insurance providers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are beginning to shift a much greater portion of prescription drug costs to patients and consumers. In many cases, these requirements can cost thousands of dollars out of pocket and often result in limited access to essential medicines – a dangerous and expensive combo.

To offset these costs, many pharmaceutical companies offer programs that assist patients with their out of pocket costs, including deductibles and co-pays, for their prescriptions. These financial contributions made by the drug manufacturer help patients afford their medicine while paying down their health insurance deductible and continue until the individuals’ deductible and out-of-pocket maximum limits are reached. At that point, the health plan picks up the rest of the tab.

Yet in recent months, health plans and PBMs have begun to implement “co-pay accumulator” programs – an effort to prevent funds provided by these assistance programs from applying to a patient’s out of pocket maximum or deductible. As a result, patients are left with steep costs when the value of patient assistance is exhausted.

For more on this emerging practice, check out our latest issue brief.

Jeanna Walters-Fancella and her husband, Ron, wanted to do two things: beautify their backyard and plant herbs to repel fleas and ticks.

Opioid abuse and addiction in America has reached epidemic heights. As a nation, we’re spending more than $500 billion annually in health and social costs to combat this growing problem. What’s more, the Department of Health and Human Services reports more than 40,000 lives lost in 2016 from overdosing on these pain management treatments.

Long-term solutions to combating this crisis will depend upon biomedical innovation and the development of novel and safer, next generation therapies to treat both pain and addiction.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed important legislation designed to help address this epidemic and to ensure that more innovative treatments are available to patients. The bill, H.R. 6 (the Substance Use-disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment – SUPPORT – for Patients and Communities Act), included several of BIO’s recommendations pertaining to enhancing and improving the ability to utilize expedited approval pathways, which is an important step in getting new innovations to patients.

Specifically, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to hold a public meeting within one year and update or develop new guidance documents covering topics such as:

• The use of innovative clinical trial designs, real world evidence, and patient experience data for the development of therapies for treating pain and addiction;
• Eligibility criteria for Sponsors to qualify for expedited approval pathways;
• Methods for evaluating acute and chronic pain; and
• Possible endpoints for use in clinical trials for pain and addiction therapies

By clarifying these points and the criteria for expedited approval qualifications, we can encourage greater investment into the development of much-needed novel and safer therapies.

The reality is that it often is not clear to companies who are developing therapies in this area as to whether they qualify for expedited approval pathways or what the FDA’s expectations are for qualifying for such pathways. Additionally, inefficient tools for evaluating pain, like the current “1-10 scale” which does not consider acute versus chronic pain, pain perception, or other comorbidities such as depression and a lack of endnotes makes clinical trials for pain and addiction therapies more difficult.

The legislation, by providing Industry Sponsors and investors a clear path forward through regulatory clarity, would also help support the discovery and utilization of less-addictive medicines – a critical component of a comprehensive plan to solve the opioid crisis.

To date there have been several bills introduced in both Chambers to fight against this growing crisis and we applaud Congress’ hard work in advancing these critical pieces of legislation.

BIO will continue working to promote policies to fight this disease by encouraging the research and development, as well as the timely approval of, and patient access to, novel medicines that improve the way we treat pain and addiction for current and future generations.

For more information about the biopharmaceutical industry’ commitment to combatting the opioid crisis, please visit http://www.bio.org/opioid.

This week, the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance released a report entitled, “A Tangled Web: An Examination of the Drug Supply and Payment Chains.” The report is the latest to look at the nation’s complex drug cost ecosystem.

More patients are finding that what they have to pay for prescription drugs is simply unaffordable. That’s why BIO has repeatedly called on policymakers to advance reforms that will help provide all patients affordable access to the medicines they need. Real reform requires a holistic approach, one that recognizes the roles insurers, pharmacy benefits managers, hospitals and other health care actors play in determining what people pay for their prescription drugs.

Unfortunately, this report provides a distorted view of the biopharmaceutical industry. For example, it doesn’t mention the fact that 90% of all biopharmaceutical companies are unprofitable and most biotech companies are small businesses. It also fails to recognize that when compared to other industries, the biotech sector collectively ranks near the bottom in terms of profitability. Finally, it gives scant attention to the tremendous value biopharmaceutical innovation provides patients and our broader health care system.

Biopharmaceutical innovators invest enormous amounts of time and resources bringing new cures and treatments to market, yet a large share of what’s spent each year on prescription drugs goes to insurance companies and other middlemen. While we disagree with the conclusions in this report, we have long been encouraging policymakers to carefully review the complex way drugs are delivered to patients. We believe such an effort will ultimately lead to real solutions that provide all patients access to the medicines they need at a cost they can afford.