In our collective mind, while we may initially associate groundbreaking clinical research with places like Silicon Valley and Cambridge, Massachusetts, we need not look any further than Idaho. The Gem State has established itself as an important venue for medical and scientific research work that not only contributes to saving and improving lives but also serves as a job-creating, economic engine for our state.
There are almost 11,000 jobs in Idaho supported by the biopharmaceutical industry, including jobs at companies like Velocity Clinical Research in Meridian. At Velocity, we are doing significant work in several therapeutic areas, and helping our country be better prepared for future infectious disease outbreaks. We are just one of several facilities that, in the last five years alone, conducted more than 550 clinical trials in Idaho , enrolling more than one million participants to advance treatments for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more.
This is why it is a matter of great concern for our state when politicians target pharmaceutical manufacturers as the primary means to lower prescription drug prices. It’s a misconception that the list prices set by manufacturers are what we, as consumers, actually pay at the pharmacy counter. Insurers and corporate middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers actually play a greater role in determining pricing. If clinical research is disincentivized in our country and in Idaho specifically it could eliminate jobs, stifle economic growth and delay the future of medicine.
Every biopharmaceutical company and every clinical research facility in our state not only creates jobs directly, but also supports an indirect network of vendors who provide lab equipment, build brick-and-mortar facilities, offer cleaning and maintenance services, provide food, transportation and a range of other necessities. Each clinical research site in our state is an economic ecosystem providing good jobs and economic opportunity.
We Work For Health recently conducted a study to quantify this financial impact. They studied 2022 data for the vendors and suppliers working with 15 major biopharmaceutical companies and found that these companies 58 across the state were generating $8 million in vendor company spending in Idaho. By any measure, this is a significant piece of the Idaho economy and it’s an asset that should be cultivated.
That said, the affordability of prescription drugs for working families in Idaho and across the country remains an essential issue that must be addressed. Those of us who devote our careers to the life sciences and medical research do so because we believe all people should have access to new, life-improving therapies. And surely there are policy solutions that can improve access and affordability without exacting a heavy toll on job creation and the economy.
We all benefit in multiple ways from the clinical research work happening here in Idaho. When the United States is the world’s leader in biopharmaceutical research and development, it not only improves our collective health and better protects us against unforeseen public health dangers but also helps build our economy and create new opportunities for working families. We need to find a way to balance drug affordability with a robust innovation economy.
Finally, I want to thank people like you who continue to participate in research studies. Without clinical trial participants, it would not be possible to research and develop new medications, vaccines, medical devices and cures.
Jennifer Raley is clinical site director at Velocity Clinical Research , whose Boise research site was the first free-standing clinical research facility in the state of Idaho. Velocity conducts clinical trials for a wide range of indications. Learn more about clinical research and find current trials in Boise by visiting VelocityClinicalTrials.com.
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