Biosimilar Fire Drill

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has been in the limelight since it negotiated with the White House and Senate to make an $80 billion commitment to funding healthcare reform. But the spotlight shifted to the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) last week when a key Senate committee disregarded the views of the Obama administration and warnings from one the most politically potent consumer lobbies in Washington by voting to include BIO-favored biosimilars provisions in its healthcare reform legislation.

The vote is not the end of the story. Some of the long list of opponents of BIO's position on biosimilars have already attacked the biotech industry in the blogosphere as profit gougers and are labeling Democrats who backed the industry association as sellouts. But BIO's legislative success suggests that the organization, which in recent years has filled most of its top positions with Republicans and has had limited access to Democrats, is starting to be successful in putting a Democratic face on its positions...