This week bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to permanently repeal the medical device excise tax. CBSA applauds the introduction of H.R. 2207, Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2019, which gets us one step closer to providing innovators the long-term certainty they need to support future job growth and sustainable, cutting-edge research and development.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scott Whitaker, president and CEO of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), issued the following statement on introduction of bipartisan legislation (H.R. 2207) in the U.S. House of Representatives to permanently repeal the medical device excise tax:

“America’s medical technology industry is facing a $20 billion tax increase at year-end, when the current medical device tax suspension expires. Urgent action is essential to protect future medtech innovations that benefit patients and to avoid putting good-paying U.S. jobs at risk.

“House introduction today of the ‘Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2019’ in the 116^th Congress brings us one step closer to ensuring this innovation-stifling burden on the medtech industry never returns, supporting continued American leadership of this vital industry.

“We thank the bill’s lead sponsors, Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) for their leadership on this issue. This bill – and the strong bipartisan support they have gathered – reflect the high priority this Congress places on patients, jobs, and future investment.

“While past suspensions of the medical device tax have enabled manufacturers to invest in R&D, infrastructure and new hiring – which in turn benefits patients and the U.S. economy – these benefits are at risk. Now that bipartisan legislation to permanently repeal the device tax has been introduced in both the House and Senate, AdvaMed will urge Congress and the administration to act as expeditiously as possible to get rid of the tax once and for all this year.”

Inscripta, a leading gene editing technology company, today announced that it has increased its previously announced Series C financing with an additional $20 million from existing investors. The new funding adds to the $85.5 million financing Inscripta announced in 2018, bringing the total raised for the round to $105.5 million. 

Senator Michael Bennet, Congresswoman Diana DeGette Recognized as Champions of Life Science 

Continue Reading

April 1, 2019
 

This week President & CEO Jennifer Jones Paton spoke with 630 KHOW’s Krista Kafer about CBSA’s opposition to Senate Bill 5, which would create a Canadian drug importation program in Colorado. Throughout the conversation Jennifer explained that the innovators CBSA represents are dedicated to developing new treatments and cures and ensuring patients have access to those medicines, but this legislation would jeopardize patient safety and do little to reduce prescription drug costs.  

On Wednesday Senate Bill 188, FAMLI Family Medical Leave Insurance Program, was heard and passed out of the Senate Committee on Business, Labor & Technology. The bill would create a state-run family and medical leave insurance program to provide partial wage replacement benefits to an eligible individual who takes leave from work: