Georgia Bio celebrated the life sciences industry at the Georgia State Capitol February 25, 2020. Georgia Bio’s annual Capitol Day is the chance for members to showcase their innovative products, services, and discoveries at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. The event gives members the chance to meet one-on-one with Georgia’s policymakers. The overall mission of the event is to present to the Georgia General Assembly Georgia Bio’s legislative agenda and vision for life sciences economic growth.

During the day at the Georgia State Capitol, Georgia Bio had over thirty members in attendance focused on discussing with legislatures workforce & talent initiatives, patient access to care, and the creation of a Georgia Rare Disease Advisory Council. Below are a breakdown of the issues and what Georgia Bio supports.

To commend Georgia Bio and recognize February 25, 2020 as the Georgia Life Sciences day at the State Capitol, Governor Brian Kemp declared a Proclamation , Representative Robert Dickey (R – Musella) sponsored House Resolution 1056 and Senator John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa) sponsored Senate Resolution 674. Georgia Bio received special recognition on the Georgia House of Representatives chamber floor and Georgia Senate gallery.

Left to right (Rep. Terry England, Rep. Randy Nix, Phil Gibson, Rep. Robert Dickey, Kristin Boscan, Maria Thacker-Goethe, Speaker of the House Rep. David Ralston)

Presenters at our breakfast reception included:

  • Senator John Wilkinson (R – Toccoa), Chairman Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee
  • Senator Dean Burke (R – Bainbridge), Vice-Chairman Health & Human Services Committee
  • Senator Larry Walker (R – Perry), Member Health & Human Services Committee
  • Representative Robert Dickey (R – Musella), Chairman Appropriations Education Subcommittee
  • Representative Butch Parrish (R – Swainsboro), Chairman Appropriations Health Subcommittee
  • Maria Thacker-Goethe, President & CEO, Georgia Bio
  • Kallarin Mackey, Georgia Bio Policy & Advocacy Committee Chair & Director of State Affairs for Emory University
  • Phil Gibson, Ph.D., Georgia BioEd Chairman & Director, Georgia Bioscience Training Center, Quick Start
  • Andy Freeman, Georgia Government Relations Director, American Cancer Society

Georgia Bio gives a special thank you to Governor Brian Kemp, Rep. Robert Dickey & Senator John Wilkinson for sponsoring resolutions, and all the guest speakers and members for joining us in celebrating and showcasing their support to advance the life sciences industry in Georgia! Thank you to our event sponsors, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), AdvaMed, and UCB.

Workforce & Talent Initiatives:
The life science industry continues to fuel breakthrough discoveries that are having profound impacts around the globe. The life science sector in Georgia grew by 14.9% over the last decade. This high-paying and innovative sector is rapidly changing and the demand for new technical skills is on the rise, especially in Georgia. The industry routinely reports shortages of employees with the necessary skills.

Many life science careers utilize biological systems to produce commercially important biomaterials and biomolecules for use in agriculture, medicines, food and beverage processing, and industrial applications. Rural Georgia educators need support in life science career recognition, applicable hands-on teaching techniques, and access to supplies and equipment for their students.

Georgia Bio supports the state of Georgia to continue funding the Department of Education to advance Georgia BioEd’s Rural Teacher Training Initiative to strengthen Georgia’s life sciences workforce pipeline through classroom-to-career initiatives that align with industry needs.

Patient Access to Care:
Too many Georgians face barriers to accessing meaningful and timely care. In rural communities, many hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open. And throughout the state, even Georgians with coverage can face difficulties accessing specialty care or prescription drugs.

Georgia Bio supports patient access to innovative therapies and adequate provider networks through private and public insurance, including Medicaid, while enhancing plan transparency and encouraging competition among providers and insurers.

Establish a Georgia Rare Disease Advisory Council:

With over 7,000 known rare diseases, it is incredibly difficult for anyone to have an in-depth understanding of the entire rare community. Consequently, this lack of awareness contributes to some common difficulties that rare disease patients must face every day, such as delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, lack of treatment options, high drug costs, and limited access to medical specialists.

Rare Disease Advisory Councils help represent the needs of the entire rare disease community by giving patients, families, caregivers, and other stakeholders an opportunity to make formal recommendations to state leaders about the most important issue they face. Further, the membership of rare councils includes a variety of stakeholders that represent the entire rare community, including patients, caregivers, doctors, insurers, drug manufacturers, and researchers.

Georgia Bio supports the creation of a Georgia Rare Disease Advisory Council to address the needs of the rare disease community.

About Georgia Bio

Georgia Bio (GaBio), founded in 1989, is a non-profit, membership-based organization that promotes the interests and growth of the life sciences industry.  It is the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization which works to improve access to innovative technologies and grow Georgia’s life sciences economy. Members include companies, universities, research institutions, government groups and other industry associations involved in discovery and application of life sciences products and related services that improve the health and well-being of people throughout the world.

Georgia Bio’s mission is to advance the growth of Georgia’s life sciences industry and foster strategic partnerships that can create a healthier world. To accomplish this mission, GaBio conducts business and economic development activities; advocates on behalf of the industry on public policy matters; educates the public about the benefits of life sciences research and product development; and provides a network for the exchange of ideas, information and opportunities.

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Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community

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By Sheran Brown • February 20, 2025
A renewed push for prescription drug cost reform is gaining momentum in Congress, with the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health subcommittee planning a hearing on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform for late February. The hearing, to be led by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), signals a revival of bipartisan efforts to regulate these pharmaceutical intermediaries. PBMs, which negotiate drug prices for insurers and employers, have become a focal point in the broader discussion of healthcare costs. A previous bipartisan agreement to regulate these entities was crafted by Carter and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the last Congress, though it ultimately stalled when the larger spending bill it was attached to faced opposition. The reform efforts enjoy broad support from both parties and the president, making it one of the few areas with potential for bipartisan cooperation. However, new complications have emerged as Republicans consider using PBM regulations to generate savings for their broader policy agenda, potentially requiring up to $880 billion in cost reductions. The path forward remains uncertain, with ongoing debates about whether such reforms would qualify for budget reconciliation and whether using PBM regulations as a funding mechanism could derail bipartisan cooperation. Meanwhile, stakeholders continue to disagree on the impact of additional PBM regulation, with pharmaceutical companies arguing that PBMs inflate drug costs while PBMs contend that new regulations would increase prices.

Council on State Biotechnology Associations says NIH funds are a critical component of innovation ecosystem

By Sheran Brown • February 20, 2025
The Council of State Biotechnology Associations (CSBA) has issued a strong warning about proposed cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, emphasizing the critical role these grants play in America's biotech innovation ecosystem. The statement, below , comes amid concerns over recent guidance that would reduce NIH funding to key research institutions. ----------------------- “Today, the US biotech industry employs nearly 2.3 million people across the US and is making positive contributions to economic impact and national security across all 50 states. In fact, for every dollar the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contributes to a successful drug, the private sector invests over $65, underscoring the agency’s unparalleled return on investment. As the associations representing the bioscience industry across the nation, the Council on State Biotechnology Associations (CSBA) is concerned by recent guidance that would cut funding provided by the NIH to universities, hospitals, and other institutions that perform critical early-stage research. NIH grant funds are a critical component of our innovation ecosystem. Grants for basic research are the spark that leads to university-driven discoveries, with public-private partnerships and tech transfers that bridge early-stage research to industry-sponsored drug development and ultimately to FDA approved medical advances for hundreds of diseases. While the administration looks for greater efficiency in the use of taxpayer dollars, it cannot be overstated - once scientific innovation moves abroad, it may never return. In the race for scientific innovation around the world, as our adversaries continue to increase government investments in research, we encourage President Trump to follow suit and ensure that we maintain our global leadership in an industry that was created and thrives across the US.”
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