BIO To Testify Before House Committees on Project BioShield

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 26, 2003) - J. Leighton Read, M.D., general partner of venture capital firm Alloy Ventures and former executive committee member of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), will testify on BIO’s behalf at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Project BioShield tomorrow, Thursday, March 27.

WHO: J. Leighton Read, M.D., general partner of Alloy Ventures and founder and former CEO of Aviron, a vaccine discovery and development company that merged with MedImmune in 2002 to become MedImmune Vaccines. Dr. Read served as a member of the BIO Executive Committee from 1997-2001.

WHAT: A joint hearing on the “Project BioShield Act of 2003” before the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and the Emergency Preparedness and Response Subcommittee of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.

WHEN: Thursday, March 27, at 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: 2123 Rayburn Building

Read’s testimony will focus on the need to guarantee government procurement of bioterror countermeasures when research and development have proven successful and protect the biotech industry against product liability lawsuits associated with the use of biodefense products.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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