Conference Presentation, Panel
The 2014 Atlanta Summit - - The Business Case for Public Health
- PepsiCo plans to transform its portfolio and focus on environmental, talent, and human sustainability to address health and nutrition challenges while a billion people face obesity issues.
- The pharmaceutical industry expects a "golden era" driven by IT and molecular biology revolutions, shifting toward integrated collaboration with agencies like the CDC, NIH, FDA, and insurance providers.
- Genomics costs have fallen to a few hundred dollars from millions, a trend projected to continue and close the gap between the 6,000 known molecular diseases and only 250 existing treatments.
- A global capital downturn has left the pharma sector in cost-cutting mode, though new financial structures for bioscience financing are expected to emerge this year.
- Predictive timelines of five, ten, and twenty years are anticipated to yield great medicines for serious medical problems, contingent on bold, integrated solutions to avoid serious consequences from inaction.
- Safeway projects cutting healthcare costs from one billion to 850 million dollars through outcome-based standards, with obesity rates expected to drop to the lowest in the nation.
- Legislation is being lobbied for to increase premium flexibility based on biometric standards from 20% to 30% or 50%, supporting a new healthcare model to be developed after the speaker's retirement.
- CDC initiatives aim to tackle chronic diseases costing $2.8 trillion through partnerships with philanthropy and business, including campaigns to combat tobacco and a 70% expected reduction in blood-related disease transmission.
- A new model blurring boundaries between government, civil society, and the private sector is expected to emerge, with the CDC planning to build community partnerships and host a museum reception for concrete collaboration.
- Capital shortages persist at various levels in the bioscience sector, alongside concerns about a lack of panic regarding the risks to prosperity if faster action is not taken.
- Financial systems like the MGA system have saved approximately 14 million dollars in the last eight months, with similar cost-saving mechanisms expected to evolve through future integration.
- Best investments are anticipated to focus on prevention, cures, and affordable medicine to create shareholder returns, while the industry seeks to accelerate the pace of change to manage costs and anticipate problems.
- Funding for the NIH faces significant challenges due to budget battles, yet the future for biology remains optimistic as the building blocks of life continue to be discovered.