This past week, the CBSA team represented our community at the BIO International Convention, shared our expertise on the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) during a webinar hosted by the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO), and tracked several key federal issues, including Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s actions related to vaccines. Read today’s policy blog for a news roundup. 

BIO International Convention: Elyse Blazevich, CBSA President and CEO, and Matt Teter, CBSA Vice President of Partnerships, were proud to champion Colorado’s life sciences community this past week at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention in Boston. The CBSA team supported members of our life sciences ecosystem; connected with companies, investors, and talent considering Colorado; and attended a variety of informative and impactful sessions, including sessions on the policy landscape the life sciences ecosystem faces in 2025. Before the convention, the CBSA team joined our partners from Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, Sterling Bay, Fitzsimons Innovation Community, and CORE Electric Cooperative for a series of business recruiting meetings in Boston. 

CSRO Webinar on the Colorado PDAB: Amy Goodman, CBSA Vice President and Counsel for Policy + Advocacy, shared her expertise on the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) during a webinar hosted by the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO), Advocates for Compassionate Therapy Now (ACT Now), International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthirtis), and CBSA. The Colorado PDAB will be the first state Board to consider upper payment limits (UPLs) on prescription medications, including the autoimmune drugs Enbrel, Stelara, and Cosentyx. While the PDAB is tasked with making prescription drugs more affordable for patients, these payment limits are likely to limit patient access without lowering patients’ costs. This webinar focused on how these new payment limits will impact prescribers and their patients. You can view the full webinar here. 

Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) Drug Pricing: On May 12, 2025, President Trump released an executive order on Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing and there have been discussions about Congress’s potential consideration of an amendment that could include an MFN drug pricing policy as part of a reconciliation package. In response to these efforts, CBSA and other groups in Colorado, including Lupus Colorado and Fitzsimons Innovation Community, have reached out to Colorado’s Congressional delegation urging them to work with their colleagues in Congress to oppose implementation of an MFN policy, and instead to support solutions that lower drug prices while preserving incentives for medical innovation. See our letter here.

Kennedy’s Actions Related to Vaccines: On June 9, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “abruptly removed 17 vaccine experts” from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Washington is “reeling,” POLITICO reported. Kennedy wrote in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal that “the decision is meant to restore faith in vaccines” because the “committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.” John F. Crowley, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), released the following statement:  

“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is vital to ensuring scientific rigor and third-party experts inform decisions about the safe and effective use of vaccines in the US. Under the law, ACIP also plays a critical role determining how the American people access immunizations.  

We are greatly concerned about the uncertainty created by the abrupt dismissal of the serving committee members and the loss of years of experience, especially less than three weeks before the next ACIP meeting, with consequential votes on recommendations that will affect Americans’ access to RSV, flu, HPV and other important vaccines. 

While the advisors serve on the ACIP at the selection and appointment by the Secretary, the removal of committee members will cause significant disruption in this critical process. Immunization reviews take place through working groups over many months, culminating with discussion during a public meeting. A wholesale change of this manner will negatively affect the Committee’s ability to deliberate and make well-informed recommendations, putting American lives at risk.   

We agree that transparency is key to restoring trust in immunizations; however, the actions taken today upend a time-tested system that has protected American public health.”  

Also see WhyWeVaccinate.org, BIO’s newest vaccine campaign. CBSA’s efforts related to supporting and promoting science and evidence-based practices will continue.