Washington Editor

WASHINGTON - A GOP-run government could be a mixed blessing for the biotechnology and drug industry.

On one side, many conservatives oppose controversial research viewed by the scientific community as vital to the future of medicine.

The other side, of course, is the GOP's friendly nature toward business and particularly, the sale of prescription drugs.

But one day after the mid-term elections, described by some Republicans as "stunning," industry insiders admitted they were pleased with the outcome.

Carl Feldbaum, president of Washington-based Biotechnology Industry Organization, said of the election, "I believe it gets us a bit away from the attack mentality on the biopharmaceutical industry that we have experienced since Sen. Jeffords [I-Vt.] gave the Democrats the majority."

And Jeff Trewhitt, spokesman for the Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said, "For the third national election in a row, attempts to demonize the U.S. research-based pharmaceutical industry for political gain have failed. Americans see the real risks and dangers in further politicization of this issue. Voters do not want to jeopardize the miracle of lifesaving innovation in modern medicines."

Indeed, and once the new members take their seats next year, it is entirely possible that a single-party House and Senate, supposedly backed by the White House, will reach a decision on prescription drugs.

"We are not going to speculate about what the new Congress and the new committee chairs might set for the agenda in the 108th Congress," Trewhitt said. "The pharmaceutical industry has supported expanding access to prescription drugs for seniors under Medicare since 1999 and that will continue to be our top priority in the new Congress."

Ben Peck, legislative representative for Washington-based Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, sees the issues somewhat differently. He told BioWorld Today that the mid-term elections are not a mandate.

"This administration has been strongly supportive of privatizing Medicare as a whole and we are certainly concerned that the administration and members of Congress that support that agenda could see this as a mandate," Peck said. "We think there will be members in the House who will push to privatize Medicare and there will be an attempt to push legislation that was passed in the House last year that would privatize the drug benefit, but we think that is the wrong way to go and we are looking toward senators to oppose that in the 108th Congress - it may require a filibuster."

As it stands now, the House in June approved its own $35-a-month prescription drug plan for seniors that would be administered by the private sector through insurance companies or private health plans. (See BioWorld Today, June 24, 2002.)

The Senate battled over four proposals and ended up gridlocked a day before the month-long summer recess began in early August. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 1, 2002, and Aug. 2, 2002.)

Next year, however, things in the Senate should be different.

At press time, the Republicans held 51 seats, compared to 46 for the Democrats and one for Independent Jim Jeffords. Technically, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) won re-election over Republican John Thune. However, since the margin of victory was about 500 votes, under South Dakota state law Thune has the right to seek a re-count. Meanwhile, Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu failed to win 50 percent of the vote, forcing a Dec. 7 run-off.

Regardless of how those elections play out, the Republicans will still hold the majority in the Senate.

Landrieu may be remembered by many within the industry as the co-sponsor of the anticloning legislation introduced by Kansas Republican Sam Brownback. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 6, 2001; Nov. 27, 2001; and April 11, 2002.)

President Bush supports the Brownback legislation as well as similar legislation in the House authored by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.).

Weldon's ban on therapeutic and reproductive cloning has passed the House, but Brownback's legislation hasn't quite made it through due to opposing legislation introduced by Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Toward the summer's end, the two groups were reportedly working on a compromise.

Now that the Republicans are poised to control the agenda in both the House and Senate, there's no telling how the cloning matter might unfold. But Feldbaum said he doesn't believe anyone in Congress "wants to go another 15 rounds on that issue."