P.M. Briefing : U.S. Leads Japan on Genetic Drugs

WASHINGTON — The United States is leading Japan in the worldwide race to bring new genetically engineered drugs into the marketplace, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assn. said today.

But America could lose its edge if the government refuses to hire more reviewers at the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Patent Office, or if Congress fails to vote a pay raise for government scientists, the association added.

“Five years ago there were predictions that Japan would overtake us in biotechnology by the end of the decade. That has not happened,” PMA President Gerald Mossinghoff said.

But “we cannot get medicines to doctors and patients as quickly as good science permits--let alone remain competitive with industries in other countries--unless we deal with the widening gap between pay in government and the private sector for critical review positions, both in FDA and the Patent Office,” he said.