The California Healthcare Institute (CHI), a nonprofit, public policy
research organization representing leading California academic
institutions, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and
pharmaceutical firms, and the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio),
the association for the Northern California life science community,
today announced that the two organizations have signed a letter of
intent to merge their operations into a newly created organization, to
be called the California Biomedical Innovation Alliance (CBI),
representing the entire biomedical ecosystem of the state of California
in one organization. The merger of the two organizations is expected to
be completed by end of the first quarter of 2015.
Rick Winningham, chairman and chief executive officer of Theravance
BioPharma and chairman of CHI, will become the initial chairman of CBI
upon completion of the merger. Hal Van Wart, Ph.D., president and chief
executive officer of CymaBay Therapeutics and chairman of BayBio, will
become the initial vice chairman of CBI.
“Never before has there been so much potential to bring improved health
to so many people around the globe, but without supportive public
policy, the potential of new innovations to transform health and life
will not be realized,” said Winningham. “The merger of CHI and BayBio
will create the strongest possible organization, capable of advocating
for policies that support innovation and enable the success of our
member organizations, as well as the growth of the life sciences sector
within California.”
“As our member organizations face an increasingly complex environment,
they require an advocate that is best able to advance the policies and
goals that will enable their success,” said Dr. Van Wart. “CBI will
become a model for furthering the goals of its member organizations and,
as a consequence, will enable improvements in the health and well-being
of countless individuals living with serious medical conditions around
the world.”
Sara Radcliffe will join CBI as president and chief executive officer.
Ms. Radcliffe has worked in life sciences advocacy and policy for more
than two decades, most recently serving as executive vice president for
Health for the Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry
Organization.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of California’s
biomedical sector. Advancements in science and technology –
combined with rapidly evolving reimbursement and care delivery
environments – will create significant opportunities and
challenges in the years to come,” said Ms. Radcliffe. “I have worked
with many CHI and BayBio staff and member organizations during my
career, and I am very much looking forward to leading the newly formed
CBI’s efforts to fortify and expand the breadth, depth and reach of CHI
and BayBio’s mission of advocacy on behalf of biomedical innovation
throughout the State of California.”
The newly combined organization, at greater than twice the size of the
current entities, will be a strong advocate for the continued growth and
advancement of biomedical innovation in California and for the members
of both organizations, while continuing to offer practical programs and
services to support members as they work to bring new medical advances
to patients. CBI will be headquartered in California with offices in La
Jolla, South San Francisco and Sacramento, as well as Washington, D.C.
The boards of CHI and BayBio want to recognize and express thanks for
the many contributions of Todd Gillenwater, Gail Maderis and their
staffs. The goal of this merger is to leverage and extend the talents of
these two organizations. A major emphasis of the merger is policy and
advocacy and it is expected that Mr. Gillenwater will have an expanded
global policy, advocacy and communications role in the combined
organization and will lead this from Washington, D.C. An integration
team led by the new CEO, Sara Radcliffe, will ultimately determine the
roles and responsibilities of the combined staffs.
About Sara Radcliffe
Sara Radcliffe is the executive vice president for Health at the
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). In that role, Ms. Radcliffe
has lead responsibility for identifying and implementing strategic BIO
approaches to improving the ability of BIO's human healthcare focused
companies to research and develop life-saving and life-enhancing
biotechnology products, and to bring these products to market. Among the
priorities of BIO's Health Section are: promoting a science-based FDA
regulatory environment, enhancing patient access to innovative therapies
and vaccines through reimbursement systems that recognize the value of
biotechnology products, ensuring that biosimilars policies protect
patient safety and promote innovation, and securing support for policies
that advance personalized medicine and emergency preparedness. In her
role at BIO she led the BIO team’s technical discussions with the Food &
Drug Administration regarding the fourth reauthorization of the
Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA V), and BIO’s engagement in
implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Biosimilars
Price Competition and Innovation Act. Prior to joining BIO, Ms.
Radcliffe served as Senior Director, Biologics & Biotechnology at the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). She also
served in the Alliance and Technology Group at SmithKline Beecham
Pharmaceuticals as a Research and Development Policy Analyst, working on
evaluation and communication of the promise, ethics, and impact of
rapidly-developing technologies in DNA Research. In addition she worked
for the Core Services Committee of the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
Ms. Radcliffe holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Arts in
Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts
from Wellesley College.
About BayBio
BayBio brings together the collective strength and experience of the
world’s most innovative and productive life science cluster, helping
companies grow, connect and advocate to solve some of humanity’s most
pressing challenges. BayBio provides comprehensive support and solutions
tailored to the unique needs of nearly 1000 Bay Area life science
companies and institutions, delivering tangible value through group
purchasing savings, capital access, government affairs & advocacy,
networking and best-practice sharing. BayBio also supports the future of
bioscience innovation through the BayBio Institute’s work in science
education, career development and entrepreneurship.
About CHI-California Healthcare Institute
CHI represents more than 275 leading biotechnology, medical device,
diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private
academic biomedical research organizations. CHI’s mission is to advance
biomedical research, investment, and innovation through effective
advocacy of policies to improve public health and ensure the continued
vitality of the life sciences sector. CHI’s website is www.chi.org.
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