Representative Upton Honored as BIO Legislator of the Year
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Tuesday, May 04, 2011) - The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced today its selection of Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) as Legislator of the Year for 2010-2011. Representative Upton will receive the award this afternoon as part of the BIO Legislative Day Fly-In.
"Representative Upton is a long-time champion of the biotechnology industry. As Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, he's been a proponent of issues critical to our nation's biotech industry such as the creation of a pathway for the approval of biosimilars that protects patient safety and provides incentives for continued innovation," said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood.
"As a champion of the biotechnology industry both in Michigan and throughout America, Representative Upton has staunchly supported the creation of a biosimilars pathway that protects patients and incentivizes innovation that ultimately was included in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. We appreciate his consistent support over the last twenty-four years of policies that create an environment to enable this industry to bring new therapies and cures to the American people", said Stephen Rapundalo, PhD, MichBio President & CEO.
More than 200 biotechnology industry representatives from 36 states will participate in hundreds of meetings with Members of the House and Senate during the BIO Legislative Day Fly-In. Participants will discuss issues critical to the biotechnology industry including patent reform, increased funding for the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, restored eligibility for Small Business Innovation Research grants, and extension of the Therapeutic Discovery Project Program.
Photos of the award presentation are available upon request.
Upcoming BIO Events
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
May 8-11, 2011
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Partnering for Global Health Forum 2011
June 27, 2011
Washington, DC
BIO International Convention
June 27-30, 2011
Washington, DC
2011 BIO Human Resources Conference
June 26-28, 2011
Washington, DC
The Business Forum at the BIO International Convention
June 28-30, 2011
Washington, DC
BIO India International Partnering Conference
September 21-22, 2011
Hyderabad, India
BIO China International Conference
October 12-13, 2011
Shanghai, China
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling "innovations transforming our world." Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.
For more information:
- Visit http://www.bio.org
- Follow us on Twitter @IAmBiotech
- Join us on LinkedIn/MyBio
- Become a fan at facebook.com/IAmBiotech
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