December 4, 2024

The PDAC met for the second time on Monday according to this agenda. The meeting focused largely on reviewing the Council’s enabling statute and its obligations, ethics training, as well as the election of the Council’s Chair.

As a reminder, these are the members of the PDAC:

• Katherine Hempstead, Ph.D., Senior Policy Adviser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• George Scott, DO, Dean, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University
• Rena Conti, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Markets, Public Policy & Law, Boston University
• Crystal McDonald, Associate State Director, Advocacy, AARP
• Suja Mathew, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer, Atlantic Health System
• (Alternate member) Jubril Oyeyemi, M.D., Founder & CEO, Cherry Hill Free Clinic; Chief Medical Officer, Camdon Coalition & Medical Director, Community Health, Virtual Health
• (Alternate member) Keith Lewis, M.D., Chair, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Rutgers Medical School
• (Alternate member) Christopher Zipp, DO, Chair, Family Medicine, Atlantic Health System

Dr. Katherine Hempstead was elected to serve as Chair of the Council. Dr. Hempstead currently serves as Senior Policy Officer at the RWJ Foundation, and has been with the Foundation for approximately 12 years. Previously, Dr. Hempstead was the Director of the Center for Health Statistics in the New Jersey Department of Health. Her work has focused on the analysis and dissemination of major data sets that included vital statistics, hospital discharge data and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. She has a Ph.D. in Demography and History from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hempstead has also written and spoken about the health insurance industry over the years and has taught history, public policy and biostatistics. Her latest book, published in June of this year, is “Uncovered: The Story of Insurance in America.”

The Council will elect a Vice Chair at the next meeting.

BioNJ hopes that the NJ PDAC succeeds in identifying the true and central drivers of unaffordability and diminished Patient access, and we stand ready to amplify the voices of the life sciences sector and the Patient community to the Council.

Please reach out to Ian McLaughlin, VP of Government Affairs at BioNJ, with any thoughts: IMcLaughlin@BioNJ.org.

Two bills have been posted on committee agendas in the New Jersey Senate that are worth noting:

• S1192 (Mukherji/Gopal) - Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy.
• Will be heard in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on December 9, 2024
• S1981/A1899 (Vitale/Mukherji/Conaway/Speight) - Expands authority of pharmacy technician in administering drugs and vaccines and permits pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccine.
• Will be heard in the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on December 9, 2024

BioNJ is pleased to see that the State Senate will continue to consider these prudent policies. Please reach out to Ian McLaughlin, VP of Government Affairs, with any thoughts: IMcLaughlin@bionj.org.

On November 27, Debbie Hart, President and CEO of BioNJ, authored an article published by NJ Spotlight News that explains the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as well as potential solutions to the unique development landscape for antimicrobials. The piece highlights the PASTEUR Act, for which BioNJ has advocated in the past, which would introduce a new payment structure that isn’t based on sales volume but would create an eligibility for set contracted sales to the federal government over a fixed period.

The article also emphasizes the need for attention to be paid towards ensuring that equitable health outcomes are contemplated when confronting this rising issue, noting BioNJ’s recent white paper on the demographics of clinical trial participants across trials conducted in New Jersey.

To read the article in NJ Spotlight News, click here.

To read BioNJ’s white paper on clinical trial demographics, click here.

As expected, Congressman Andy Kim, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November, will take office prior to the swearing-in of the next Congress. Rather than early January, which is when new members of Congress are to be sworn in, incoming Senator Kim will be appointed by Governor Murphy on December 9 of this year. 

BioNJ thanks Senator Helmy for responding to the call to serve the interests of New Jerseyans, as well as for his appreciation of the importance of biomedical innovation along his full tenure of public service and wish him well in his future endeavors.

We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Kim as he assumes his new role to ensure that New Jersey remains home to one of the most critical clusters of innovation in the life sciences globally — because Patients rely on the invention of new and more effective medications.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released the 11th edition of its biennial Jobs Report. Partnering with TEConomy Partners, and based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment Wages, the report explores the status of the bioscience economy.

BioNJ is pleased to report that New Jersey has been among the national leaders in employment growth, continues to be home to three or more bioscience subsectors as well as a leader in patent activity, and clearly remains one of the central hubs of innovation within the sector. 

To read the report, click here.

On November 22, NJEDA held a listening session that solicited input on the draft rules for a new program devised to draw investment in the artificial intelligence sector in New Jersey.

BioNJ submitted comments that convey our willingness to serve as a junction of all of the entities involved in this sector, from investors to start-ups. Building on the success of our AI & Digital Health Day on November 18, we remain committed to advancing the growth of this dynamic sector. We look forward to the continued roll-out of this incentive program and will support its utilization however possible.

Tomorrow at 10:00 AM, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing entitled “What Is the FDA Doing to Reduce the Diabetes and Obesity Epidemics in America and Take on the Greed of the Food and Beverage Industry?”

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, and Deputy Commissioner of the Human Foods Program at the FDA, Jim Jones, will join the hearing as witnesses.

To watch the hearing, click here.

On Monday, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its 2-year investigation on the COVID-19 pandemic. The 500-page report is broad in scope, including both investigations and recommendations, and BioNJ is still exploring its contents.

The Select Subcommittee met today at 10:30 AM to consider the report.

To read the report and a summary from the Select Subcommittee, click here.

BioNJ is the voice of New Jersey’s life sciences sector in Trenton and Washington. BioNJ’s Public Policy Support Series sponsorship opportunities are now available for 2024. Help ensure BioNJ continues to deliver our message of improved Patient access and enhanced innovation through a Public Policy Support Series Sponsorship.  

Click here for more information.

BioNJ | www.BioNJ.org

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