Pharmaceutical/Biotech: Overview
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, ranked as one of the largest law firms in the nation, provides comprehensive government relations services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Our professionals actively represent the interests of life science clients before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on a variety of legislative, regulatory and appropriations matters. While state agencies annually allocate significant funds to life science programs, it can often be difficult for companies with limited resources to navigate their way through the state labyrinth. Buchanan's Government Relations professionals assist life science companies in planning government appropriations strategies, preparing funding requests and designing collaborations with the government, which include finding avenues for publicly funded cooperative research and in-licensing government-owned technology.
In conjunction with the firm's Biotechnology group and the Federal Government Relations practice, the State Government Relations group also routinely advocates on behalf of life science companies before the Pennsylvania General Assembly as well as the U.S. Congress on the issues of proposed legislation, adoption and interpretation of regulatory requirements, and raising governmental awareness about areas of special concern to the life sciences industry.
Through our highly regarded Biotechnology and Food and Drug practices, we have helped life sciences companies around the world bring their inventions and products to market. Our Intellectual Property and Corporate Finance attorneys often work with the State Government Relations group in order to assist multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences businesses at every stage of development — from filing a patent on an invention to raising venture capital for future growth and research.
Recent State Accomplishments
- Our government relations professionals were successful, for the third year in a row, in defeating the administration's proposal to implement a prescription drug "carve-out" within the Medicaid Managed Care Program. This proposal would have negatively affected nearly 1 million Medicaid patients. By maintaining the administration of the total health care benefit within the managed care plans, including prescription drugs, the coordination of care will continue for these patients.
- We were successful in working with the pharmaceutical industry to amend legislation opening up the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and drug utilization processes in Pennsylvania.
- Buchanan's professionals worked to secure additional funding for the Greenhouses and Health Venture Investment Account.
- We worked to obtain continued support towards the work of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners. The recent budget maintained funding for the Ben Franklin member organizations at the same level as last year.