Biotech Executives Call for Action on Reproductive Health Rights
Shehnaaz Suliman, CEO, ReCode Therapeutics
Dear Friends and Biopharma colleagues,
The rapidly approaching midterm elections carry the potential to dramatically reshape the political landscape in myriad ways. The importance of the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June, overturning Roe v. Wade, looms large.
At this critical time, we must be clear that Dobbs was about more than abortion.
Amanda Banks, MD
With the decision to eliminate a Constitutional right to abortion, a powerful few stripped a majority – women – of the right to make basic decisions affecting their healthcare and their lives. It marks the beginning of a broader loss of autonomy and privacy for all Americans.
As a result, in many states in our country, women no longer have the legal right to openly consult with their doctors, to make decisions informed by facts and receive the best care possible, without their actions subject to criminalization.
Julia Owens, CEO, Ananke Therapeutics
The impact of the Court’s ruling disproportionately affects the least powerful among us: the poor, the less educated, minority women, primarily in historically red states.
The Dobbs decision undermines essential principles that underpin medical ethics, and that we as a healthcare industry hold as guiding principles: beneficence (doing good), non-maleficence (do no harm), autonomy (giving the patient the freedom to choose for themselves), and justice (ensuring fairness).
Sheila Gujrathi, Executive Chair and Chair
Ventyx Biosciences, ImmPACT Bio, ADARx
Beyond abortion, this erosion of basic rights impacts miscarriage care, access to birth control and ironically fertility services, and this is just the beginning. As an industry dedicated to improving human health, we stand united in opposition to Dobbs and in support of people impacted by this decision.
In a July 2022 letter signed by hundreds of biotech leaders we emphasized that abortion is reproductive healthcare and denounced the Court’s decision. We emphasized that a woman’s decision to be pregnant or unpregnant are fundamental rights and personal choices.
Today we ask our industry to support four calls to action:
- Provide financial support and time off to employees who need to travel to obtain reproductive healthcare services.
- For any medicine that has been approved as safe and effective by the FDA for abortion care, treatment of miscarriage, or prevention of pregnancy, we call on FDA to work with sponsors to remove unnecessary barriers to access. Specifically, we call upon the FDA to remove the REMS restrictions for mifepristone, and to allow oral contraceptive pills to be sold over the counter. We commend FDA’s efforts to consider both actions.
- Any drug company that manufactures products used for abortion care, treatment of miscarriage, or prevention of pregnancy is called upon to make these medicines as widely accessible as possible.
- With the midterm elections upon us, we commit to making accommodations for our employees to take time off to vote.
We cannot, as an industry, or as a nation and regardless of gender, stay silent while our fundamental health rights are negated. By signing this letter, we as individuals and as organizations commit to these calls to action, and to maintaining continuous vigilance in our collective fight to improve human health for all.
The Biotech Sisterhood and Allies
| Shehnaaz Suliman, MD
CEO Recode Therapeutics |
Amanda Banks, MD
Advisor, Board Member, Physician
|
Grace Colón, PhD
Former CEO InCarda Therapeutics |
| Julia Owens
President & CEO Ananke Therapeutics |
Sheila Gujrathi, MD
Executive Chair and Chair Ventyx Biosciences, ImmPACT Bio, ADARx
|
Paula Soteropoulos
Chairman Ensoma
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| Rekha Hemrajani
CEO Jiya Acquisition Corp
|
Sabrina Martucci Johnson
CEO Daré Bioscience, Inc. |
Peter Kolchinsky
Managing Partner RA Capital Management, LP |
| Andrew Goldberg
COO
|
Deborah Palestrant
Partner 5AM Ventures |
Robert Poole
Signatory NW Biomedical Consulting Inc. |
| Julie Sunderland
Founder Oriane Consulting
|
Catherine Riesen
VP, Finance RA Ventures
|
Rita Balice-Gordon
CEO Muna Therapeutics |
| Nina Kjellson
General Partner Canaan
|
William Newell
CEO |
Nancy Whiting, PharmD
CEO Recludix Pharma |
| Rosana Kapeller
President and CEO ROME Therapeutics
|
Amy Burroughs
CEO Cleave Therapeutics |
Jeffrey D. Marrazzo
Co-founder and former founding CEO, Spark Therapeutics Marrazzo Ventures
|
| Jeremy Levin, MD
Chairman and CEO
|
Daphne Koller
CEO and Founder Insitro |
Martina Roos
CEO Sardona |
| Alex Martin
CEO Abcuro |
Samantha Miller
Co-founder and co-CEO Cadence OTC Inc.
|
Ramona Doyle MD
Clinical Professor UCSF |
| JeenJoo (JJ) Kang
CEO Appia Bio
|
Cameron Pitt
CBO Quanta Therapeutics |
Art Krieg
Adjunct Professor UMass Chan Medical School RNA Therapeutics Institute
|
| Samantha S. Truex
CEO Upstream Bio
|
Alex Harding, MD
SVP Business Development and Corporate Strategy Remix Therapeutics
|
Wendye Robbins, MD
President & CEO Blade Therapeutics, Inc. |
| Scott Wasserman
CEO Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc.
|
Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch
CEO |
Jodie Morrison
Acting CEO and Board member Q32 |
| Sarah Boyce
CEO Avidity
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Jennifer Beachell
COO Upstream Bio
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Aoife Brennan
CEO Synlogic |
| Peter Smith
CEO Remix Therapeutics
|
Dave Melville
CEO The Bowdoin Group
|
Carol L. Brosgart, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Biostatistics and Epidemiology UCSF |
| Kate Yen
CEO Auron Therapeutics |
Nancy Stagliano
CEO Neuron23 |
Joanne Kotz
CEO Jnana Therapeutics
|
| Yael Weiss
CEO Mahzi Therpaeutics
|
Hanadie Yousef
CEO and co-founder Juvena Therapeutics, inc. |
Alice Valder Curran
Partner Hogan Lovells |
| Simone Azevedo
CEO Xingu Health Inc
|
Karen Larochelle
CEO LaRochelle Advisors, LLC |
Tanya Joseph
Managing Director, Biotech Investment Banking Cowen
|
| Ramani Varanasi
Managing Director ReVive Advisors
|
Sarah Kurz
EVP Partner Therapeutics |
Blake Wise
CEO Novome Biotechnologies |
| Shi Yin Foo
CEO Arvada Therapeutics
|
Deborah S Kelly, MD
Executive Medical Director, Global Risk Mngt & Safety Surveillance Incyte Corporation
|
Kristen Fortney
CEO and Co-founder BioAge |
| Carol Marzetta
Retired biopharma exec Pfizer
|
Chris Conley
Biotech Consultant DNA Consulting |
Daniella Ishimaru
Principal Scientist ReCode Therapeutics, Inc |
| Samantha S. Truex
CEO Upstream Bio
|
Christine Zedelmayer
COO Equillium, Inc. |
Andre Turenne
CEO Matchpoint Therapeutics |
| Adam Keeney
CEO NodThera
|
Kitty Wu
VP, Head of BD and Strategy Fosun Pharma USA |
Laura Kahn
Executive director of R&D Strategy and Operations ReCode Therapeutics
|
| Erika Smith
CEO ReNetX Bio
|
Richard Gaster
Managing Partner venBio Partners |
Eleanor Quin
Senior Director, Total Rewards and People Totus Medicines |
| Pamela Michelle Klein, M.D.
Founder and Managing Director PMK BioConsulting |
Nathaniel Horwitz
President (Mayday) & Venture Partner (RA) |
Amber Brown
Chief of Staff RA Capital |
| Karla Loken
Disease Area partner Roche |
Laura Berner
COO TRexBio |
Donna Higgins
CEO The Higgins Group Inc
|
| Maria Fardis
Venture Partner Frazier
|
Kenneth Drazan
Chairman & CEO Arsenal Bio |
Caryn Peterson
Partner DSC Associates, LLC |
| Emily Drabant Conley
CEO Federation Bio
|
Ashleigh Farver
Director Biocom |
Jay Hagan
CEO Regulus Therapeutics |
| Rajeev Shah
Managing Partner RA Capital Management, LP |
Cindy Xiong
Director Foresite Capital
|
Aaron Royston
Managing Partner venBio Partners |
| Vickie Capps
Director
|
Michael Blash
Communications Consultant BlashComm LLC
|
Ellen Lubman
Chief Business Officer and Head of Investor Relations Werewolf Therapeutics, Inc.
|
| Kelly C. Huang
Leadership/Executive Coach Genesis Advisers
|
Elaine Sun
COO and CFO Mammoth Biosciences |
Clarissa Shen
COO and Board Member Q Bio, Inc. |
| Shelia M. Violette
Chief Scientific Officer and Founder Q32 Bio
|
Michael Saulnier
CFO RA Capital |
Bernat Olle
CEO Vedanta Biosciences |
| Karl Kieburtz, MD, MPH
Managing Partner Hoover Brown, LLC |
Becki Filice
SVP, Portfolio and Program Leadership CymaBay
|
Adam Rosenberg
CEO Aliada Therapeutics |
| Rene Russo
CEO Xilio Therapeutics
|
Sarah Reed
General Counsel RA Capital Management |
Mary Thistle
Director |
| Deborah Geraghty
CEO Anokion
|
Safia K Rizvi
CEO CILA Therapeutics, Inc. |
Maria Soloveychik
CEO SyntheX
|
| Laure Nucci
Executive Director, BD Simcere
|
Melissa Shaw
V.P., Legal and IP Annexon, Inc. |
Catherine Stehman-Breen
CEO Chroma Medicine |
| Asina Gant
Division Counsel Annexon Biosciences
|
Melita Sun Jung
Chief Business Officer Structure Therapeutics Inc. |
Jake Simson
Partner RA Capital Management
|
| Phyllis Loud Gray
SVP, Human Resources Annexon Biosciences
|
Joseph O’Neill
Associate RA Capital |
Karpagam Srinivasan
Associate Director Alector LLC |
| Jay Lichter
Managing Director Avalon Ventures
|
Laura Stoppel
Principal RA Capital |
Cony D Cruz
Venture Partner RA Ventures |
| Thomas Culman
Engagement Associate RA Capital Management
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Ernesto Gonzalez Jr.
Senior Business Systems Analyst RA Capital
|
Fuad Naser
Associate RA Capital Management |
| Alex Strasser
Associate RA Capital Management |
Daniel Slesinski
Associate RA Capital Management |
Megan Lipcsey
Healthcare associate, former physician RA Capital
|
| Edward Monaghan
Chief Development Officer Lusaris Therapeutics, Inc.
|
Meghan Petrowski
Business Operations Manager / Recruiting Coordinator RA Ventures
|
Cameron Decker
Research Assistant RA Capital |
| Kaleen Sullivan
Sr Research Project Coordinator RA Capital
|
Jack Vailas
Senior Associate RA Capital |
Lauren Walrath
VP, Public Affairs RA Capital |
| Jamie Donovan
Executive Assistant RA Capital |
Gunes Bozkurt
Venture Analyst RA Capital |
Simos Simeonidis
co-CEO/co-CIO, Managing Partner Ally Bridge Group
|
| Zach Scheiner
Principal RA Capital
|
Nate Davis
Analyst RA Capital |
Emily Gransky
VP, Head of Recruiting RA Capital |
| Anurag Kondapalli
Investor RA Capital |
Angela Pontius
VP, Clinical Operations RA Capital
|
Julie Hambleton
Retired Pharma/Biotech Executive; Chief Medical Officer |
| Julie Krop
Chief Medical Officer, PureTech Health
|
Lori Rudolph-Owen
COO Senda Biosciences |
Diana Bernstein
VP Northpond Ventures |
| Jasmine Ferrer
Managing Partner Korn Ferry
|
Sharon Ayd
VP Advarra |
Ekaterine Kortkhonjia
Early Innovation Partnering Johnson & Johnson |
| Jennifer Fang
Partner Wilson Sonsini
|
Aimee Raleigh
Sr Associate Atlas Ventures |
Alexander Martinez-Forte
Strategic Finance, Analyst RA Capital |
| Matthew Hammond
Principal RA Capital
|
Christina Lilliehook
Scientific Writer RA Capital |
Kate Moreau
Associate Director RA Capital Management
|
| Priya Patel
Business Development Genentech
|
Gisela Paulsen
CEO Oncocyte Corporation |
Gina Patel
President and CEO Patel Kwan Consultancy LLC |
| Joanne L Viney
CEO Seismic Therapeutic
|
Scott Garland
CEO PACT Pharma |
Nerissa Kreher
Chief Medical Officer Entrada Therapeutics |
| Sophie Chapelle
VP Corporate Development Sherlock Biosciences
|
Monica Stanciu
Associate Director, TechAtlas RA Capital |
Kristine C. Mechem
VP Precision Medicine Health Advances |
| Derek DiRocco
Partner RA Capital Management
|
Monika Trzcinska
Partner Bluestar Bioadvisors |
Kate Haviland
CEO Blueprint Medicines |
| Cyriac Roeding
Co-founder, CEO Earli Inc.
|
Lori Taylor
Executive Annexon Biosciences |
Emilie Besnard
Senior Scientist Dorian Therapeutics |
| Erez Chimovits
Partner
|
Cristina Montero
Associate Director RA Capital, LP |
Leslie J Williams
Founder President & CEO hC Bioscience, Inc. |
| Kate Hermans
Interim CEO and President Ambrx
|
Harvey Chan
Controller RA Capital |
Bahija Jallal
CEO Immunocore |
| Katherine Terranova
Healthcare Associate RA Capital
|
Maria Radu
Principal Scientist Merck |
Robin Toft
Senior Advisor, Boardroom Diversity ZRG Partners
|
| Rebecca Silberman
Senior Associate RA Capital
|
Hilary Malone
CEO Certego Therapeutics |
Catherine Flaherty
Executive Assistant RA Capital
|
| Sevgi Gurkan
Venture Partner and CEO OrbiMed and Perfuse Therapeutics
|
Nikole Kimes
CEO Siolta Therapeutics, Inc.
|
Michael Varnum
Research Assistant RA Capital |
| Mariagrace Houllahan
Executive Assistant RA Capital Management
|
Akash Datwani
Director |
Shikha Barman, PhD
Founder, President and CEO Integral BioSystems |
| Saundra Pelletier
CEO Evofem Biosciences
|
Dennis A. Dean, II
Principal Investigator Seven Bridges |
Rachel Bedenbaugh
Project Manager – Vaccines RA Capital |
| Morgen Alden
Partner FirstThought, LLC
|
James Schneider
Associate General Counsel RA Capital |
Rachel Haurwitz
President & CEO Caribou Biosciences, Inc. |
| Maria Soloveychik
CEO SyntheX
|
Angie You
Advisor Frazier Healthcare and Casdin Capital
|
Dolca Thomas
Director; Board of Directors Chinook |
| Elizabeth Aluck
Director Biopharma Partnering Siemens Healthineers
|
Aetna Wun Trombley
CEO Lycia Therapeutics |
Sarah Bhagat
Biotech Investor |
| Yvonne Linney
Independent Board Member Bionano Genomics
|
Bernard Coulie
President & CEO Pliant Therapeutics |
Kate Hermans
Interim CEO and President Ambrx |
| Alyssa Larson
Associate Director RA Capital
|
Amy DuRoss
Senior Advisor Frazier Healthcare Partners |
Lauren La Rue
Head of Early CMC GIVAX Inc. (Incubated under RA Capital Management)
|
| David Carter Hoffman
Head of Intellectual Property Bit Bio Inc.
|
Elaine Hamm
CEO CLAIRIgene |
Osvaldo Flores
CEO Century Therapeutics |
| Katherine Vega Stultz
President and CEO Ocelot Bio
|
Alana McNulty
Director Janux Therapeutics |
Rhona O’Leary
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Strategy and Execution Genentech
|
| Liz Guthridge
Leadership coach Connect Consulting Group
|
Michael Curtis
CEO eGenesis |
Florian Brand
CEO & Co-Founder atai Life Sciences |
| Stephen Klasko
Executive in Residence General Catalyst
|
Owen Richfield
Postdoctoral Fellow Yale University |
Smriti Jain
Project Manager Consultant |
| Sibylle Hauser
Executive Director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship CLS
|
Amy Lurier
SVP People and Talent Carbon Biosviences |
Jennifer Kane
Sr Director of PV Arcus Biosciences |
| Susan Nemetz
CEO and Founder The NemetzGroup LLC
|
Julie Martin Walker
Partner Cramer |
