BioNJ CEO Debbie Hart was thrilled when she heard Gov. Phil Murphy address the life science industry during his recent State of the State address.
While life sciences were far from the focus of the address, Hart appreciate the shut out when governor emphasize the role that our sector plays in enabling New Jersey to earn the reputation of being the “medicine chest of the world” – and that he highlight that New Jersey holds the distinction of having “more engineers and scientists per capita than anywhere else on the planet.”
“BioNJ was pleased to see that Gov. Murphy emphasized the importance of innovation to the health and success of New Jersey’s economy,” Hart said. “As we have over the course of the governor’s administration, we look forward to working with the governor and other policymakers as well as our Members to continue earning the reputation as the “Medicine Chest of the World” and supporting the governor’s priority to ensure that our State is home to a growing number of innovators who are making their mark.”
Given that affordability was a driving theme of the dress, Hart said BioNJ is hopeful that the Legislature will continue advancing efforts to address the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which play a key role in driving up medication costs.
“We will continue working with policymakers in the Legislature and the Governor to promote policies that reliably reduce costs while sustaining innovation, including supporting S3818 (Scutari/Bramnick) and A4953 (Freiman), which address different PBM practices, to more effectively achieve our shared goal of making medicine as accessible as possible to patients,” Hart said.
The payoff will come down the road, Hart said.
“As the governor noted, “the best way to predict the future is to create it” — and as representatives of the industry responsible for more FDA approvals than any other state in the country, we will continue to support that vision, Because Patients Can’t Wait.”