March 29, 2000 / AgWeb.com / Bob Coffman
Biotechnology pioneers now operate under the bright lights of public scrutiny. They are lacing up their shoes for the long run. Agriculture takes the heat, while human medicine enjoys the fruits.
The three-day BIO 2000 gathering of more than 7,500 individuals from countries around the globe, is winding down, sending scientists back to their laboratories to nudge new biotechnology developments forward.
Addressing the gathering earlier this week, Carl Feldbaum, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), had some interesting figures buried midway through his presentation.
"Our industry has proven that biotechnology works," he said, un-apologetically. "There were a record 22 new drug approvals in 1999; more drugs were approved in the past five years than in the previous 13 years combined. Nearly 100 biotech medicines are now on the market helping hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Another 350 drugs are in late-stage clinical trials." Feldbaum continued, "These numbers are not abstract; they are about helping people. The record 22 drug approvals by the FDA in 1999 include breakthrough treatments for ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, influ enza andhepatitis C."
Feldbaum acknowledged biotechnology has operated in the shadows until recent years, but reminds his colleagues, "Now, the spotlight is truly on us" reminding they are likely to be front page news on any given day and not just in the business press. "Hopefully we will have a long season in the sun."
He insisted, "We must shoulder the ethical and social responsibilities that legitimately and forcefully come to pioneers who make great progress and thereby achieve some prominence." The BIO organization was formed in 1993, and has been holding its second annual get-together in the historic city of Boston, March 27-29.
Citing a comment made earlier in the meeting by an associate, Feldbaum remarked, "If this biotech endeavor was the Boston Marathon, we would just be at the point of lacing up our shoes."
BIO's general web site can be accessed at: www.bio.org
(posted without permission)
