Biotech Roundup: Friday, July 10

Happy Friday everyone. We’re heading into a much needed break this weekend, after a busy week on Capitol Hill. Here are some updates on the health care debate and other biotech news before you head out:

CONSERVATIVE DEMS PUSH BACK TIMELINE FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM – The so-called Blue Dog Democrats have put their foot down on the speedy timeline for health care reform, releasing a list of demands they want addressed before the bill moves forward.

These include the need for more cost containment measures, protections for small businesses and a focus on rural health care.
“We cannot support a final product that fails to” address these issues, members of the group wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Opposition from the 52-member group could imperil House passage of a bill.

PELOSI WARNS HOUSE CHAIRMEN ON HEALTH BILL COSTS – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a warning to “the Three Tenors” – the committee chairmen drafting the health care bill – that they must keep costs down.

“I have told the Three Tenors we must wring every possible dollar out of the health system … in order to help cut the cost,” Pelosi said.

She said she told the chairmen, “I want to squeeze out what you can from the system — savings, savings, savings. … Otherwise the bill is endless.”

The chairmen — Energy and Commerce’s Henry A. Waxman , D-Calif., Way and Means’ Charles B. Rangel , D-N.Y., and Education and Labor’s George Miller , D-Calif. — are working on a final draft of a bill that could be released as soon as Friday. Their committees plan to mark up the legislation next week.

Cost savings are important, but I, for one, am concerned that there be a fair balance between saving money and protecting innovation and future breakthroughs. After all, the health of our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren (…) is counting on us to approach this in a forward-looking and responsible way.

COLLINS NOMINATION SPARKS CONCERN FROM SCIENCE BLOGGERS – Most of the response to the nomination of Francis Collins to head NIH has been very positive. (We reported on some of it here.) However, some science bloggers have raised concern due to his religious views….Seems a bit silly to us given his impeccable record, but it’s certainly an interesting wrinkle to the news…

NICE BUDGET BOOST FOR FDA – The House approved a $373 million budget increase for the FDA on Thursday, bringing the agency’s total budget to $2.99 billion for 2010.

The following are the specific funding levels for the FDA:

  • $783 million for the Center for Food Safety and Applied nutrition
  • $873 million for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
  • $349 million for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health
  • $305 million for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
  • $156 million for the Center for Veterinary Medicine

AMERICANS AMBIVALENT ON SCIENCE – A new study from the Pew Center for the People & the Press shows that though Americans largely like scientists and support research funding, they look at a number of scientific issues very differently than the science community. They also don’t hold the same views about the prominence of American scientific achievements – with %17 of the general public saying that U.S. achievements rank first in the world compared to %49 of scientists.

You can find an overview of the findings here and the full report here.