Rise and shine, everyone. The middle of the week is upon us. Have heart, though. You made it this far, so why not hang on for another couple of days, yes? And what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation — our flavor today is pumpkin spice, a household favorite — and get started. Meanwhile, do keep us in mind if you hear anything interesting. We have adjusted our settings to accept postcards and telegrams. Have a simply smashing day, and we hope that you emerge unscathed. …
Pfizer has decided to leave the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, according to STAT. The departure is a blow to the trade group, which represents members ranging from small biotech startups to massive pharmaceutical companies. It is also the latest instance in a growing trend of pharmaceutical companies re-evaluating their memberships in large trade groups following a historic lobbying loss when Democrats passed a new drug-pricing reform law in August 2022. Pfizer is a prominent member of PhRMA, the lobbying group for brand-name drug companies, and its chief executive officer, Albert Bourla, is its board treasurer.
Meanwhile, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization has chosen longtime biotech executive and rare disease advocate John Crowley as its new chief executive officer, STAT writes. Crowley came to biotech when his children were diagnosed with a rare genetic neuromuscular disease. He started working at Bristol Myers Squibb, and started Novazyme, which was eventually successful in creating an enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease. He later launched and worked for several different biotech companies, most recently Amicus Therapeutics, which had a drug approved to treat the disease in September.