My name is Cartier Esham. I am the new Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs for BIO’s Emerging Companies. The purpose of this blog is to generate discussion surrounding important issues facing the biotechnology industry and patient focused organizations. Before coming to Washington, D.C., I received my doctorate in microbial ecology and have a great passion for supporting scientific discovery.
The importance of what innovative science does for the public cannot be understated. Biotechnology innovations have already provided the public with breakthrough therapies and treatments and have unfathomable potential to bring relief to those who suffer directly or indirectly from diseases such as cystic fibrosis, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, biotechnology is poised to be an asset to the American economy – as the industry grows a new job market grows.
It is our hope this blog will provide a catalyst for discussion on how biotechnology innovation should be supported, current biotechnology discoveries that have the potential to improve public health, as well as serve as a forum to discuss legislative policies that could impact biotechnology discovery. In that vein, there is currently debate occurring on Capitol Hill regarding the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research Program.
This program, historically, provided a venue for small biotechnology companies to fund early stage research that has the potential to improve the public health and assist in moving these discoveries toward commercialization. However, since a ruling by the Small Business Administration in 2003 most of the small biotechnology companies are currently unable to participate in the program due to their capital structure. This blog will provide informational clips and blogs on this issue and we look forward to seeing your comments.
Sincerely Cartier aka ‘cartier@bio’
E. Cartier Esham, Ph.D.
Director, Emerging Companies Health and Regulatory Affairs
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Filed under: Finding Cures | Tagged: biotechnology, cures, healthcare, SBIR, small business administration
As an employee of BIO, I’ve worked on the SBIR problem for 4 years now and have enjoyed working with the advocates, scientists, and entrepreneurs – in government, industry and the nonprofits – who have devoted themselves to the development of treatments for devastating conditions.
However, I am posting not as a member of industry, but as a lymphoma survivor who considers this issue to be of paramount importance to people with disease. In 2001 I was diagnosed with T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma. Part of my treatment included Rituxan – a biologic my oncologist calls the first great miracle drug in the cancer world. My chance of survival without Rituxan was 45%, but with it, 55%. When you are facing death, that is the side of the line you want to be on. I talk about this product because the company that developed it got SBIR grants for its cancer research program. Did the SBIR grant lead directly to Rituxan? I don’t know since SBIR funding is generally for early stage research. It could be there was a direct link, or it could be the SBIR grant taught the company something that led them in a different direction which ultimately ended up with the product. Today, this company is no longer a small business, nor would it be eligible for SBIR grants. But for that program, who knows if I would be alive.
People always say because I work in the industry, my comments are “suspect.” I can tell you for certain though that I did not get lymphoma to be a shill for the industry. The bottom line is that people with untreatable and incurable diseases look to industry with hope that the next miracle drug will help them. Small biotech companies provide that hope and the SBIR grant program is one of the necessary pieces that allows a company to pursue these dreams and opportunities.