Author Archive: Jim Greenwood

This was the opening slide for my talk in Atlanta last year. We found ourselves then in the midst of a perfect storm of economic meltdown, political volatility and scientific challenge. We knew that these challenges would bring significant change to our industry but that if we remained confident, we would emerge from these challenges better and stronger. We have. Let me tell you why I say that. Biotech stocks have outperformed virtually every other Read More >

From the mass production of life-saving medicines in cell cultures to the screening of our blood supply for life-threatening viruses, patented DNA molecules (often referred to as “gene patents”) are used in many ways to benefit society. The term “gene patent” is something of a misnomer because genes as they exist in the body cannot be patented. A naturally occurring gene — even a newly discovered one — cannot be patented. Patents don’t provide ownership Read More >

One of the impediments to a reasonable public dialogue regarding the creation of a pathway for the approval of biosimilars has been the deluge of misinformation.  It is difficult to choose where to begin in correcting the numerous falsehoods in a recent guest editorial in the New York Times (“Biologics Boondoggle”; 3/8/10). To start, the authors claim that the provisions in the House and Senate health care reform bills would “discourage the development and significantly Read More >

In its 30-year history, biotechnology has made dramatic advances possible in health care, agriculture, energy production and industrial bioprocessing. These accomplishments are the result of painstaking work by many smart people devoted to transforming bench-scale life-science research into commercial products. In economic times both strong and weak this industry thrives. The industry and the promise of its science were tested during the recent and continuing recession. Many biotech companies were forced to downsize or even Read More >

On Sunday, Feb. 28, millions of people around the world will observe “World Rare Disease Day”. This is an annual event sponsored in the U.S. by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and in Europe by the European Rare Disease Organisation (EURORDIS). Plans for the day—and the days leading up to it—include awareness events sponsored by patient organizations, a rally organized by pre-medical students at the University of Connecticut, a scientific symposium at the Read More >