Biotech, Life Sciences, Report

Biotech Gaining Ground in Washington State, Report Says

Eric Hal Schwartz 6/30/09

(Page 2 of 2)

can be done while also preserving the nation’s status as the world’s leader in creating innovative new treatments for disease, she said.

Congress, Inslee said, is trying to do exactly that, but there are several competing ideas on how best to do that. For instance, Inslee spoke about the vital importance of protecting intellectual property rights because otherwise innovation would slow and move outside the U.S. He also said part of the problem with healthcare is inflated costs, and that part of solving the healthcare issues in America is to “restrain this outrageous rate of medical inflation.”

Despite successes in medicine highlighted in the report, “there’s still so much work to be done,” Johnson said. Chronic diseases like diabetes add up to three-fourths of the nation’s healthcare spending, and take a major toll in lost productivity, he said. A lot of both research to treat disease and legislation to encourage Americans to lead healthier lifestyles, will be needed to really make America healthy, he added. Inslee said he looks forward to the day when President Obama “signs a bill making the Washington way a law of the United States.”

Eric Hal Schwartz is an intern in Xconomy's Seattle office. He can be reached at eschwartz@xconomy.com.