April 20, 2009

CURE joined other Connecticut organizations — including members from local businesses, academic and health care groups, The Sheet Metal Workers Union, Pfizer, and the Latino American Chamber of Commerce — and Congressman John Larson in a press conference in Hartford April 14 promoting We Work for Health Connecticut, a network of state-based partners dedicated to protecting and fostering medical innovation in the United States and Connecticut.

“New advances in medicines like those for cancer treatment are the kinds of ongoing medical innovation to which We Work for Health Connecticut is dedicated, and for which we want to grow opportunities for research and development,” said Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of CURE and Co-Chair of We Work for Health Connecticut. “There is no reason why the search for cures for a variety of diseases can’t come to a close in our own backyard.”

The press conference featured Academy Award-winning actress and patient advocate Marcia Gay Harden, who was inspired to advocate for breast-cancer patients after researching a role in the film Rails and Ties. Ms. Harden spoke recently at the Nora F. Pfriem Cancer Institute in Bridgeport.

“Medical innovation plays a pivotal role in the success of the building trades industry; we depend on the biopharmaceutical sector to flourish,” said Dave Roche, Business Manager for the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 40 and Co-Chair of We Work for Health Connecticut. “Our union members are committed to taking any steps necessary to pave the way for continued opportunities to innovate in our community.”

Connecticut Active in Developing Cancer Medicines

Connecticut excels in the development of new, cutting-edge medicines in several areas. For example, over 70 medicines to treat or prevent cancer currently are being developed by Connecticut companies, according to a new report released at the press conference. Among the medicines being developed by companies in Connecticut are 13 for breast cancer; 13 for prostate cancer, which this year is expected to kill 28,000 American men; 17 for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States; and nine for colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cancer in both men and women nationwide. Additional medicines target brain cancer, kidney cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, skin cancer, and others. (Click here to view report.)

“President Obama’s recent call to ‘cure cancer in our time’ underscores the critical need for continued medical innovation, and his message resonates powerfully in our state because oncology is one of Connecticut’s research areas,” said Senator Jonathan Harris, Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee. “Connecticut is proud that the cancer medicines now in the research pipeline in our state are contributing substantially to the incredible progress made by biopharmaceutical companies in the last five years in developing new and more effective treatments for cancer, which is the nation’s second leading cause of death. This is the kind of cutting-edge medical innovation to which our nation must continue its strong commitment.”

According to a recent study, biopharmaceutical research companies in the medical innovation sector in Connecticut support employment for over 53,000 people who research, manufacture, distribute and promote innovative therapies. These companies’ R&D expenditures topped $3.8 billion in 2006 alone. Nationwide, every job in the biopharmaceutical industry generates 5.7 jobs in other industries. (Click here for executive summary of the report.)

New Group Has More Than 30 Members

We Work for Health Connecticut has more than thirty partners, including the Connecticut Association of Economic Development Directors, the Carpenters Union, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Women’s Health Connecticut.

“Simply put, members of the We Work for Health coalition support public policies that recognize the value of innovation, and actions that preserve and foster America’s and Connecticut’s ability to innovate,” Pescatello said. “Specifically, We Work for Health:

• Supports opportunities to lead in the research and development of new cures that make a difference in the quality of life for Connecticut’s citizens and millions of Americans.
• Recognizes the importance of all participants, including our communities, our patients, our employees and our business and community partners.
• Encourages increased investment in educational programs dealing with science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
• Believes everyone should have access to products and services that can improve their health and quality of life.
• We Work for Health is about community service that demonstrate good corporate citizenship and helps to build a better quality of life in our communities.”

Press coverage of the April 14 announcement included the following:

• CT-N (Connecticut Network) video coverage
• Hartford Courant
• Meriden Record-Journal
• CT News Junkie

Click here for the website of We Work for Health Connecticut.