Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

As the life sciences sector in Georgia continues to grow at a rapid pace, the need for bioready sites grows. As just the second state in the country to formally adopt such a program, the BioReady Community program will allow Georgia’s municipalities to showcase biotech-zoned science parks, streamline permitting, build a robust infrastructure, and identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively in the interest of attracting companies interested in relocating. 

After lunch Maria announced that the City of Johns Creek is the first municipality in the state to achieve this designation.

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradbury said, “We need to challenge each other. We can push the ball forward at a grassroots level .… And hopefully that’s going to mean a bigger ecosystem for this industry in our state.”

Given the industry’s large footprint in Georgia including 78,000 direct jobs across 4,000 establishments, nearly 215,000 total jobs and over $50 billion in economic impact, Georgia cities and towns are increasingly adopting local policies that greatly ease the pathway for renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.

Georgia Bio’s counterpart in Massachusetts, MassBio , has developed a rating system to determine a municipality’s readiness to host biotechnology facilities based on the community’s zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. BioReady® rates these communities in three tiers from Bronze to Gold. Through these BioReady® ratings, Georgia Bio seeks to provide cities and towns a platform to effectively tell their stories to the biotechnology industry that will ultimately help real estate developers and biotechnology companies find the most favorable destinations to locate.

AtlantaInno and Atlanta Business Chronicle Reporter Rebecca Grapevine noted , “Earlier this year, Johns Creek tallied a win when Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) committed to a nearly quarter-million-square-foot lease at the former State Farm campus. The expansion could bring up to 340 jobs, the company said.” [Note: subscription required.]

Click Here to View the Georgia BioReady Page & Learn How to Apply

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Below are Links to the John’s Creek Announcements

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

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

By Sheran Brown • February 21, 2025
Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community

Bipartisan PBM Reform Back in Focus as House Committee Plans Hearing

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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