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What’s Inside: FDA Grants Full Approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine; Atara Partners with Fujifilm on Cell Therapy; Industry’s First Online Protein Ordering Platform; & more.
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We’re championing the progress made by California’s life science community and want to hear about your company’s latest scientific breakthrough, investment milestone, or commitment to creating positive change for our industry. Submit your story here for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue. |
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What’s Happening at Biocom California
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Budget Bill Backs Biotech
In an effort to provide relief to businesses amidst the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced that budget tax credits for research and development as well as net operating losses will be restored for 2022 and beyond. This tax certainty provides companies in California’s life science ecosystem the stability needed to continue their life-saving work and we applaud the impactful support of the industry shown by Governor Newsom and legislative leadership.
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Monitoring the COVID-19 Scene
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The Rise & Fall of Cases & Hospitalizations
Let’s tackle the bad news first. While the average number of daily COVID-19 cases are down 27% from two weeks ago, deaths are still on the rise. Approximately 145,000+ patients have been hospitalized across the country, with more than 24,000 in intensive care, bringing us to about 2,500 deaths reported daily. While the Delta variant makes up only about 0.1% of cases, Omicron now accounts for the remaining 99.9%. Unless things shift quickly, Omicron is expected to push the US over the 1M death count mark.
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Approved & Authorized
Now for the good news. This week, the FDA granted full approval to Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, which has been in use for over a year under an emergency use authorization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 204M doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered in the US and approximately 75M people across the nation are fully vaccinated by it. The new approval gives more autonomy to physicians to prescribe use of the shot, and hopefully additional confidence to those who’ve been wary as previous public polling showed promise that some would be likelier to get the shot if granted full approval.
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Waiting for the Green Light
Protection against COVID-19 for children under five years old could be on the horizon as Pfizer and BioNTech have requested emergency use authorization for their two-dose vaccine. The companies are aiming to complete the submission process this week with a scheduled review from the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee on February 15. If authorization is granted, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would be the first COVID-19 vaccine available for children age 6 months to five years.
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Industry Intelligence & Member Moments
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Single-Payer Health Care Plan is Pulled Ahead of Defeat
In January, lawmakers reviewed an update to a single-payer health care bill to create a government-funded health care system in California and allow access to any doctor, regardless of network. The plan, titled CalCare, will not advance this year after it was clear to the author that it would not have enough votes to get it through the state Assembly ahead of a key deadline. Supporters intend to bring it back for consideration in next year’s elections.
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COVID Cases Decline, Additional Vaccine Mandates Considered
As COVID-19 cases are declining throughout California, matching the pattern nationwide, California lawmakers are proposing steps to keep the transmission low among the youngest constituents. On January 24, Senate Bill 871 was introduced which proposes to add COVID-19 vaccines to California’s list of required inoculations for attending K–12 schools, which can be skipped only if a student receives a rare medical exemption. The bill is expected to be met with strong opposition from anti-vaccine activists.
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San Diego Community Power Rollout
Residential customers in San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Encinitas, and Imperial Beach will receive power from a new electricity provider as early as February. San Diego Community Power (SDCP) will service more than 700,000 residential customer accounts and determine power purchase contracts for those five cities instead of San Diego Gas & Electric. New customers will receive information in the mail explaining SDCP, the change, and what options are offered. Commercial and industrial customers started receiving SDCP service last summer.
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OSHA Withdraws Vaccine Mandate
On January 25, The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the withdrawal of the emergency temporary standard (ETS) for vaccination and testing of employees of businesses with 100+ employees. The withdrawal comes after the Supreme Court blocked the requirement on January 13, stating that Congress had not given OSHA the power to impose such a sweeping requirement in workplaces across the nation.
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Biocom California
For over 27 years, Biocom California has helped move the life science industry forward with transformative resources that enable companies to make meaningful connections. With a membership base of over 1,600 companies, we connect our members to each other so they can collaborate and work stronger and smarter together. We connect organizations to capital investment and purchasing solutions so they can grow faster and work more efficiently. We’re their link to advocacy that fights for innovation and we provide an environment where their business and talent can thrive. Biocom California is how the life science industry gets connected.
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