Today the Council for American Medical Innovation (CAMI) issued the results of a Battelle study which echo many concerns that the NVCA has been voicing for some time regarding the state of medical innovation in America.  The study, “Gone Tomorrow? A Call to Promote Medical Innovation, Create Jobs, and Find Cures in America,” unequivocally asserts that the United States is quickly losing ground as a global leader in medical innovation.  It sets forth a series of public policy recommendations aimed at ensuring that our country remains competitive amidst a rapidly changing global arena.  The emphasis is strong on public private partnerships, federally funded research and development, and enhanced leadership within the Administration and regulatory agencies. 

The study is consistent with the NVCA’s public policy agenda within our own medical industry group and the premise that we must not take America’s historical innovation leadership for granted.  The study results will be helpful to us on Capitol Hill and within the Administration as we advocate for an environment in which medical innovation can thrive from the earliest basic reserach stages through regulatory approvals and commercialization.  It is a must read for anyone operating within the life sciences sector.

Another “must read” for the life sciences venture and entrepreneurial communities is the NVCA recently released white paper on the impact of health reform on life sciences innovation, which summarizes those provisions within the health care reform act that both help and hurt America’s ability to bring innovation to market.

While these documents paint a grim picture of the threats we face amidst a challenging economic and public policy environment, they also put forth the opportunities associated with dynamic times.  These opportunities can not be forsaken and we will continue to push forward to ensure that America doesn’t fall behind in the area of medical innovation.  The game remains ours to lose.