Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood said, "This bill establishes, for the first time ever, a pathway to allow for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of biosimilars, sometimes inaccurately referred to as 'biogenerics'...patients with devastating diseases will have increased access to safe and effective life-saving advanced therapies and can take comfort in the knowledge that this bill will accelerate the biotechnology sector's drive toward discovering new treatments, therapies and cures for diseases that have plagued us for years...The Senate bill also provides relief to investment-starved small biotechnology research companies by creating a therapeutic discovery project tax credit."

"This is a victory for advocates of meaningful health care reform," American Nurses Association President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, commented. "We are poised to see the most significant piece of legislation passed in a generation; legislation that ensures millions of Americans receive coverage, strengthens the nation's preventive and wellness care, and addresses critical shortages in the health care workforce. As the voice for the nation's largest group of health care providers ANA will continue to play a part in the ongoing reform efforts to benefit the nursing profession and the patients we serve."


Read all the details:

Senator Reid's Response: http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=321145&

Representatives Waxman, Rangel and Miller's remarks: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=release&ID=991

Deputy Secretary Burton's briefing: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/gaggle-deputy-press-secretary-bill-burton-aboard-air-force-one-en-route-honolulu-ha

The AMA statement: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/senate-bill-passage.shtml

The APA statement: http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2009/12/health-reform-passage.aspx

The BIO statement: http://www.bio.org/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=2009_1224_01

American Nurses' Association statement: http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/MediaResources/PressReleases/2009-PR/Senate-Passes-Health-Care-Bill.aspx

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