BIO Statement on World Health Organization Proposed International Nonproprietary Naming (INN) Policy for Biologic Medicines

Washington, D.C. (July 31, 2014) – The following statement may be attributed to BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood:

“BIO played a leading role in the effort to establish a pathway for the approval of biosimilars in the United States and believes that their introduction into the marketplace is important for patients.  Biosimilars, however, raise novel and complex questions of science and law that require the updating of legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure, among other things, accurate product identification.  We applaud the World Health Organization (WHO) for recognizing this need by issuing “Biological Qualifier: An INN Proposal,” and we strongly support its intent to ensure that all biological medicines are distinguishable. We appreciate the WHO’s willingness to consider additional stakeholder input as to how best to effectuate this shared goal, and we look forward to providing detailed comments on the proposal.”

Upcoming BIO Events 

BIO Latin America Conference
September 9-11, 2014
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Livestock Biotech Summit
September 16-18, 2014
Sioux Falls, SD

BIO Investor Forum
October 7-8, 2014
San Francisco, CA

Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy
December 7-9, 2014
San Diego, CA

BIO International Convention
June 15-18, 2015
Philadelphia, PA

###