During a recent We Work For Health roundtable with California Rep. Scott Peters, leaders across patient advocacy, biopharma, labor, business and other related fields discussed the importance of protecting and promoting health care innovation.
Participants covered a number of topics, including the future of biopharmaceutical innovation in California, near-term legislative and regulatory priorities, and challenges the life sciences industry faces in serving patients.
The panelists’ insights resonate beyond the event, as showcased in the following video clips.
Scott Suckow, Executive Director of the Liver Coalition of San Diego recognized the need for policymakers to strike a strong balance between helping patients in need of acute care while meeting the evolving and unmet needs of those with chronic conditions. “If there’s not protection on innovation, there’s not going to be a pipeline of new drug therapies,” Suckow said. “Without innovation, we’ll never get effective treatments.”
According to Biocom California’s recently released 2024 Life Science Economic Impact Report, there are more than 16,576 life science establishments in California. The state supports 466,888 directly employed life science workers and 1.24 million total jobs connected to the industry. This powers an annual economic output of $414.2 billion, which is critical in a state where the cost of living continues to increase.
In addition, We Work For Health recently analyzed vendor data from 15 major biopharmaceutical companies in California, covering more than 7,600 vendor relationships across the state that generate more than $7 billion in vendor spending.
Eugenia Welch, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s San Diego, emphasized the specific promise and need to pursue innovation in the state. “One of the things we always say is, ‘It’s very possible the cure for Alzheimer’s could be found here in San Diego,’” Welch said. “San Diego is the third-largest bio hub in the country, so it just feels good to work in that environment.”
In recognition of Alzheimer's and Brain Health Awareness Month, Rep. Peters and others at the event also connected biopharma initiatives to empowering patients. International Bipolar Foundation Executive Director Debbie Schaeffer highlighted Rep Peters’ understanding that “early intervention is the best and most critical piece of a wellness journey in terms of best life outcomes.”
Rep. Peters also received the Health Care Leadership Innovation Award in recognition of his support for policies that foster innovation, including increasing NIH funding, protecting the U.S. patent system and advocating for science-based regulations. After the event, attendees reiterated the importance of those concepts in fostering more collaborative discussions and a strong future for life sciences work.
“I think what stood out to me is just being able to have so many folks represented in the room,” said Evan Strawn, Policy Advisor for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It was great for all of us to be able to speak really in a unified manner.”