PhRMA backs Obama 'jobs' pledges but argues case for strong pharma sector

Responding to US President Barack Obama's State of the Union messages earlier this week when he seemed to refocus his priorities on to employment rather than health care reform - though not giving up on the latter (The Pharma Letter January 28), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) president and chief executive Billy Tauzin stated: 'Like President Obama, we believe that economic recovery and growth in America hinges on our ability to create new jobs. Ultimately, we can only be a healthier and more prosperous nation if we continue to lay a strong foundation that supports American ingenuity and innovation.'

Mr Tauzin pointed out that, 'in the recently unveiled Strategy for American Innovation, the White House recognized that the government should give America's world-leading innovators every chance to succeed. We agree - across all business sectors, US jobs are created by American innovation.

'According to the most recent estimates, the biopharmaceutical sector employs nearly 700,000 workers domestically. But the impact of innovation extends beyond that base. In fact, every job in the biopharmaceutical sector supports 3.7 jobs in other sectors, leading to a total of more than three million American jobs supported by this industry. Simply put, the creation of jobs leads to even more jobs. And the ripple effect that we have seen within our sector starts with innovation and an unparalleled dedication to R&D.