Q2 Newsletter 2024
Q2 Newsletter 2024
President’s Message
The second quarter of 2024 was filled with a robust calendar of activity with aggressive public policy advocacy in Harrisburg and Washington, DC, large events, and connections that will last through the summer heat wave. The Life Sciences PA team conducted our annual Advocacy Day at the PA State Capitol in April, where members met with legislators to tell their company story and advocate for policies that support the life sciences ecosystem. We were pleased to see the passage of virtual manufacturing legislation through the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, and we continue to work with our members to educate legislators on the value of innovation and the complexities of the U.S. drug supply chain. Additionally, a biomarker testing bill passed the PA State Senate unanimously and now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Closing out the quarter, we were thrilled to see Rep. Paul Takac (D-Centre County) release a co-sponsorship memo on an SBIR/STTR matching program. Rep. Takac plans to introduce the bill in the very near future.
Life Sciences PA hosted hundreds of ecosystem stakeholders at the Annual Dinner & Showcase in April, where we traded the sit-down dinner and long speeches for museum-like exhibits that honored the 2024 Annual Awards honorees. This new format allowed attendees to enjoy uninterrupted networking and interact with the honorees in person to learn about their efforts to advance the life sciences ecosystem. A few weeks later, we gathered the community once again at the Annual Tailgate, where attendees decked out their block parties with themed food, drinks, and games as they competed for the prize of “best tailgate.” Life Sciences PA members and stakeholders in the community proved once again that in-person networking holds the highest value for making connections and forging new partnerships through their strong attendance of the Annual Dinner & Showcase and the Annual Tailgate.
The Life Sciences PA team represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alongside other economic development organizations across the state during the first week of June at the BIO International Convention in San Diego. Attendees enjoyed coffee from the Pennsylvania Pavilion while networking with our pavilion partners, and even enjoyed a bit of Pennsylvania fare with cheesesteaks at the exhibitor reception. We were proud to showcase the thriving life sciences ecosystem in Pennsylvania to attendees from around the globe.
As we look to the third quarter, we are thrilled to once again host Life Sciences Future in September, our annual conference that this year is hyper-focused on partnering. We recognize raising capital is the highest priority for most of our member companies and the importance of intentional, one-on-one partnering. This year’s conference will address head-on the need to create meaningful connections.
Thank you for your continued support.
All the best,
Christopher Molineaux
President & CEO
Life Sciences Pennsylvania
Life Sciences PA Represents Pennsylvania at the BIO International Convention
June 3-6, 2024
Life Sciences PA was once again proud to represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in partnership with the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) at the BIO International Convention in San Diego this past June. Alongside other economic development partners in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other areas of the state, the Association boasted Pennsylvania as a life sciences hub and promoted the strong ecosystem at the Pennsylvania pavilion. For more information on the PA Pavilion, please contact Melissa Callum, (mcallum@lifesciencespa.org).
Advocacy
Bio Fly-in
April 16 – 17, 2024
Life Sciences PA participated in a national BIO CSBA (Council of State Bioscience Associations) “Fly-In” where we met with the Offices of Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA-15), Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA-09), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08), Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA-07) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to discuss legislative priorities of the ecosystem in Pennsylvania. We were happy to join John Crowley, recipient of the LSPA 2024 Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award in his new role as President & CEO at BIO.
MDMA Annual meeting and fly-in
april 17 – 18, 2024
Life Sciences PA participated in a national MDMA (Medical Device Manufacturers Association) “Fly-In” where we met with the Offices of Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA-13), Rep. Madeline Dean (D-PA-04), U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) , Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA-07) to discuss the importance of HR 1691 as well as other legislative priorities of the Med Tech Community.
Congratulations to Dr. John Joyce for receiving the 2024 MDMA Innovator Award. LSPA was thrilled to celebrate at an evening reception Honoring Congressman John Joyce before the annual meeting where we heard directly from Robert Califf, M.D., Commissioner, Food & Drug Administration; Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., J.D., Director of the CDRH, FDA.
LSPA Federal Policy Committee Capitol Hill Day
May 29, 2024
The LSPA Federal Policy Committee took to Capitol Hill for a series of meetings with the Pennsylvania delegation, US Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) , Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA-09) , Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) , Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA-13) , Rep. Madeline Dean (D-PA-04) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11) focused exclusively on March-in rights and the threat that this poses for the entire Life Sciences ecosystem in Pennsylvania and across the country. Life Sciences PA members shared personal experiences with Members of Congress and their staff to explain how undermining the strong intellectual property protections we have in the U.S. will significantly disrupt an innovation ecosystem developing novel therapies and technologies for unmet medical needs.
Budget update
June 30, 2024
Pennsylvania’s budget is due June 30, and while there have been staff level meetings and some dialogue between leaders in the General Assembly and the Governor, it’s apparent that negotiations surrounding the Commonwealth’s 2024-25 spending plan have been slow-moving.
Education remains the central policy and spending component of this budget and funding for basic education will drive the overall state spending amount. However, we have yet to see agreement on a total spend amount between legislative leaders and the Governor.
We will continue to advocate for the inclusion of Life Sciences Pennsylvania policy priorities, such as funding for the Life Sciences Greenhouses, the Research and Development Tax Credit, among others, and urge legislators to support the Governor’s life sciences-related budget programs – PA SITES ($500 million) and the Keystone Innovation Fund ($20 million).
As budget discussions progress Life Sciences PA will keep its members informed of new developments.
Senate Policy Committee Hearing
April 11, 2024
The PA Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing on Innovation in the Commonwealth at Montgomery County Community College. This was an excellent opportunity to hear from academic research institutions, start-ups and established companies on why PA is a leader in life sciences research and development, and to better understand the workforce, tax and funding policies that would be helpful for Pennsylvania’s growth in this sector. Life Sciences PA was proud to work with partners in the region to help bring together panelists for these important discussions.
Advocacy Day And Reception
April 29 – 30, 2024
It is critical legislators and administration officials hear directly from Life Sciences Pennsylvania member organizations, and Life Sciences PA was pleased to host its annual Advocacy Day in Harrisburg April 30. Public officials hear regularly from LSPA staff and lobbyists. This event provides member organizations researching and developing novel medicines and technologies, as well as the entities supporting those efforts, a chance to speak directly to their representatives in state government.
This year, Advocacy Day included more than 65 member organizations participating in 34 total legislative meetings throughout the Capitol. In addition to those 34 meetings, attendees also heard directly from PA Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and Pennsylvania’s Chief Transformation Officer, Ben Kirshner. For those members who were able to make the trip to Harrisburg Monday afternoon, April 29, Life Sciences Pennsylvania hosted a reception in the Senate Fountain Area of the Capitol building that included more than 40 legislators and staff.
virtual manufacturing license
April 29, 2024
Representative Tim Briggs – a life sciences caucus co-chair – introduced legislation (HB 2084) to create a Prescription Drug Virtual Manufacturing License in Pennsylvania. This is an issue that affects several of our member companies that contract out pharmaceutical manufacturing. Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states that does not have this license and it creates an obstacle in other states requiring said license for distribution. The bill passed out of the House Health Committee March 27 and passed the full House April 29. Life Sciences PA continues to look for opportunities, such as the budget, to move this legislation through the Pennsylvania Senate.
PBM Reform
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (or PBM) Reform is an issue that continues to move forward in Harrisburg.
SB 1000 and HB 1993 were introduced after the Governor, in the context of addressing high pharmaceutical prices, specifically mentioned PBM reform during his February budget address. The legislation that was considered and passed in the House and Senate (among other things) prohibits PBMs from certain practices like spread pricing and patient steering, and require PBMs to submit a report to the Insurance Department on rebates and payments to drug manufacturers and how they’re distributed by the PBMs, in addition to changes related to pharmacy/pharmacist operations. Life Sciences Pennsylvania continues to monitor legislative movement on this issue, but appreciates the increase scrutiny on actors in the drug supply chain not involved in the process of researching, developing, and manufacturing prescription medicines.
Biomarker Testing
June 10, 2024
The Pennsylvania House and Senate passed HB 1754, the biomarker testing bill in June and it now goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Biomarker testing helps develop a road map to the most effective forms of treatment for Pennsylvanians with cancer and other diseases, such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases and arthritis, preeclampsia, Sickle Cell Disease, and organ and bone marrow transplants. This legislation would ensure this testing becomes a covered benefit across the disease spectrum. Life Sciences PA is proud to be part of the Pennsylvania Biomarker Testing Coalition – a group led by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network – and has voiced its support to legislators as the bill has progressed. Representative Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna County) and House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler have led and voiced their personal support for this legislation, and Senator Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny County) was the prime sponsor in the Pennsylvania Senate.
Nol Carryforward and tradability
Life Sciences Pennsylvania and more than 30 member organizations and partners signed-on to a letter encouraging House leadership to increase Pennsylvania’s cap on Net Operating Losses (NOLs) to 80 percent. Businesses suffering NOLs in a taxable year can carry those losses forward and deduct them from future years’ profits.
Pennsylvania is one of only two states to cap NOL deductions below the federal limit. The federal government allows NOL deductions at 80 percent of taxable income. This misalignment between Pennsylvania and federal tax policy puts commonwealth life sciences establishments at a competitive disadvantage compared to other states.
In addition to this, LSPA is supportive of HB 2226. This legislation makes NOLs tradable for start-up, innovative companies. Both these policies are especially helpful to companies in the life sciences sector, many of which are pre-revenue.
Life Sciences PA will continue to monitor and advocate for these tax changes as part of conversations around the budget.
Pfas Legislation
Several states are currently considering legislation to prohibit the use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals (PFAS) in many consumer products. PFAS are a group of over 7,800 human-made chemicals used in a wide range of products due to their ability to repel dirt, water, and grease and are commonly known as “forever” chemicals because they persist and do not break down in the environment.
HB 2238 was introduced in the Pennsylvania House to address PFAS. Thankfully, this legislation includes an exemption for life sciences products, paying specific attention to those products that have received FDA approval as certain changes could undermine their safety and efficacy. Life Sciences PA has been in touch with the sponsor of this legislation, among others, to ensure our member concerns are understood by legislators.
SBIR Matching Program
Life Sciences Pennsylvania is pleased Representative Paul Takac (D-Centre County) has issued a co-sponsorship memo on his plans to introduce legislation that will create an SBIR/STTR Matching Program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Many life sciences companies rely on SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) funds as a critical source of non-dilutive funding to advance research and development for novel medicines and technologies. Because these federal funds are crucial to innovation many states have created matching programs to provide additional, dedicated funds to early stage, innovative companies. LSPA thanks Rep. Takac for his leadership on this issue and looks forward to working with him and his colleagues to bring a state matching program for SBIR/STTR funding to Pennsylvania’s life sciences ecosystem.
Events
Annual Dinner & Showcase
April 10, 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
The Life Science PA Annual Dinner & Showcase was the largest networking event of the year. Held at the historic 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia, the event showcased the achievements of the 2024 award honorees through a unique, museum-like experience featuring larger-than-life exhibits detailing their accomplishments. To learn about each of the award honorees and their legacy, click here.
Making the Most of Your Membership (Virtual)
APril 23, 2024 | King of PRussia, PA
Our Making the Most of Your Membership was held virtually and introduced new members to different ways of expanding and building a network in the life sciences community. At this roundtable discussion, new members and new employees of member companies were shown the ways membership at Life Sciences PA can yield great benefits.
OPEN HOUSE
April 24/June 20, 2024 | King of Prussia, PA
The second quarter Open Houses at LSPA allowed members to socialize, connect, and utilize the Center with other LSPA members over coffee and pastries. Join us again August 1 for our next Open House.
Annual Tailgate
May 22, 2024 | King of Prussia, PA
The Annual Tailgate returned in 2024 and attendees brought their creativity. Food trucks, axe throwing, and music made for an electric environment for the life science community to explore.
Operator’s Manual
Life Sciences PA continued the digital education series in 2024, with experts in fundraising and drug development providing invaluable advice to members on best practices for their day-to-day operations.
Legal Answers Workshop
Experts from Ballard Spahr covered the potential impacts caused by the Bayh-Dole March-In Rights and how proposed use may cause a large impact on drug pricing and the rest of the drug development environment. The panel also discussed the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Prescription Drug Pricing Provisions and other upcoming legislation and initiatives.
Phase to Phase: The Guide to Drug Development
As a complimentary event sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific and PPD, drug development experts in rare disease clinical development revealed strategies to outsourcing discovery that gives small companies time to maintain their own discovery needs. Topics like regulatory benefits while developing and the importance of natural history data in rare indications were covered.
upcoming events
Making the most of your membership
Life Sciences Pennsylvania will be hosting a Making the Most of Your Membership roundtable discussion in-person at our offices in King of Prussia, PA. This event is designed especially for new LSPA Members or newer employees of LSPA Member companies who are looking for ways to build and improve their life sciences network.
Executive Dinner in pittsburgh (invite only)
Join us in Pittsburgh for an Executive Dinner. Meet new members from the West and hear from a high level speaker who will share their insights and experiences in the life sciences.
Phase to phase: the guide to drug development
Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific and PPD, experts will present innovative strategies in outsourcing discovery that allows small companies to focus on their core discovery needs and frees them up from both a capital and manpower investment. In this session, hear from experts on rare disease clinical development.
Topics:
- Regulatory benefits when developing a rare disease drug or device.
- The importance of natural history data in rare indications.
- Patient-centricity and other operational aspects of rare disease clinical trials.
Skyview connect - the pyramid club (members only)
Join us at the Pyramid Club for Skyview Connect. Network above the city of Philadelphia with other life sciences community members, and members of the Pyramid Club over a cocktail reception on the 52nd floor of the Mellon Bank Center building. This event is for LSPA Members only.
Open House
The Life Sciences Center is open for member use! Join us on August 1, 2024 for coffee and networking at our LSPA Members Only Open House held in our offices.
Meet the leaders - a leadership panel
Join us in King of Prussia at our office and hear from a dynamic panel of life sciences industry experts. Bring your questions to this interactive panel, enjoy cocktails and take advantage of networking with industry leaders!
The art of fundraising
Join us for this complimentary session and gain insight on preparing to be IPO ready. With the potential rebound of the IPO market in 2024, learn from experts on how to be start preparing your company to be ready for an IPO or other liquidity events.
Day at the park - Pittsburgh
Come out to PNC Park and watch the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Cincinnati Reds. Enjoy the game from a catered private rooftop lounge and network with colleagues in the life sciences industry!
Life Sciences Future
Join us at Life Sciences Future for the largest annual gathering on the east coast of the life sciences! Designed for all stakeholders in the life sciences ecosystem, Life Sciences Future will be the ultimate partnering event of the year with can’t-miss conference features, high-level speakers and more!
Welcome 2024 Q2 New Members!
AB Marketing Consulting LLC DBA The DEFY Collective
Action Medical Technologies
ALG BioPharm LLC Healthcare Consulting
Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy Association (ADOAA)
Auxilius
Beacon Hill
Braidwell Labs LLC
Capital Advisors Group
Challenger, Gray & Christmas
Charles J. Reymond Consulting LLC
Cogwear, Inc.
Cyto PHL
DTO Law
ElectronRx
Ellen Freeman Immigration Law Group
ES Talent Solutions
F.A.T. STATS
Hanimune Therapeutics
JM Search
KPS Life, LLC
Labcon
M21 LLC
Marrazzo Ventures
Mineralys
Mispro Biotech Services
MyData – TRUST Inc.
National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)
Noctrix Health, Inc.
OPIS
Ori Biotech
Pathways Neuro Pharma Inc.
Paychex
PSC Biotech
Ryan’s Renegades
SAB Tech Inc.
Sware Inc.
SyzOnc
Tangibly Inc
The Grovery
THEMA CORP
Thread Bioscience Inc
TruSynergy
VLP Law Group
Warren Avenue Investors
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Life Sciences Pennsylvania was founded in 1989 by a biotech scientist at Penn State University. Today it has grown to represent the entire life sciences industry – medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, investment organizations, research institutions, and myriad service industries that support the life sciences in Pennsylvania.