In the United States,Social Security is the commonly used term for the federal Old-Age,Survivors,and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program and is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Social Security Act was passed in 1935,and the existing version of the Act,as amended,encompasses several social welfare and social insurance programs.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested program that provides cash payments to disabled children,disabled adults,and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States. SSI was created by the Social Security Amendments of 1972 and is incorporated in Title 16 of the Social Security Act. The program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and began operations in 1974.
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security,a social insurance program consisting of retirement,disability and survivor benefits. To qualify for most of these benefits,most workers pay Social Security taxes on their earnings;the claimant's benefits are based on the wage earner's contributions. Otherwise benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are given based on need.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company,doing business as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS),is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in Princeton,New Jersey,BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations. For fiscal 2022,it had a total revenue of $46.2 billion.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is an American biopharmaceutical company based in Boston,Massachusetts. It was one of the first biotech firms to use an explicit strategy of rational drug design rather than combinatorial chemistry. It maintains headquarters in South Boston,Massachusetts,and three research facilities,in San Diego,California,and Milton Park,Oxfordshire,England.
Robert Samuel Langer Jr. FREng is an American biotechnologist,businessman,chemical engineer,chemist,and inventor. He is one of the twelve Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Alex Michael Azar II is an American attorney,businessman,lobbyist,and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his post by President Donald Trump on November 13,2017,and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24,2018. He was also chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force from its inception in January 2020 to February 2020,when he was replaced by Vice President Mike Pence.
Jo Anne Bryant Barnhart was the 14th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration,filling a six-year term of office that ran through January 19,2007.
Social Security Disability Insurance is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and designed to provide monthly benefits to people who have a medically determinable disability that restricts their ability to be employed. SSDI does not provide partial or temporary benefits but rather pays only full benefits and only pays benefits in cases in which the disability is "expected to last at least one year or result in death." Relative to disability programs in other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),the SSDI program in the United States has strict requirements regarding eligibility.
John Mendlein is a biotech executive who has held leadership positions in biotech companies in Boston,San Diego and Toronto.
Karen Eileen Spilka is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the towns of Ashland,Framingham,Holliston,Hopkinton,Medway and Natick in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts. She has served as the 95th President of the Massachusetts Senate since July 2018. Previously she served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.
John Francis Crowley is an American biotechnology executive and entrepreneur and the chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics. He co-founded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals with William Canfield,which was later acquired by Genzyme Corporation,and founded Orexigen Therapeutics. In 2006,he was profiled in the book The Cure:How a Father Raised $100 Million –And Bucked the Medical Establishment –In a Quest to Save His Children by Geeta Anand. In 2010,Crowley released his memoir,Chasing Miracles:The Crowley Family Journey of Strength,Hope,and Joy. Crowley and his family were the inspiration for the movie Extraordinary Measures starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser in 2010. Crowley was named CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization,the largest Biotechnology advocacy organization in the world,in 2023.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)' is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office responsible for the procurement and development of medical countermeasures,principally against bioterrorism,including chemical,biological,radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats,as well as pandemic influenza and emerging diseases. BARDA was established in 2006 through the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) and reports to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The office manages Project BioShield,which funds the research,development and stockpiling of vaccines and treatments that the government could use during public health emergencies such as chemical,biological,radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attacks.
Acorda Therapeutics,Inc. is an American biotechnology company based in Pearl River,New York. The company develops therapies that improve neurological function in people with Parkinson's disease,multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. Acorda Therapeutics manufactures and markets the drugs Inbrija and Ampyra (dalfampridine) in the United States.
United Therapeutics Corporation is an American publicly traded biotechnology company and public benefit corporation listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol UTHR. It develops novel,life-extending technologies for patients in the areas of lung disease and organ manufacturing. United Therapeutics is co-headquartered in Silver Spring,Maryland and Research Triangle Park,North Carolina,with additional facilities in Magog and Bromont,Quebec;Melbourne and Jacksonville,Florida;Blacksburg,Virginia;and Manchester,New Hampshire.
Henri A. Termeer was a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur who is considered a pioneer in corporate strategy in the biotechnology industry for his tenure as CEO at Genzyme. Termeer created a business model adopted by many others in the biotech industry by garnering steep prices—mainly from insurers and government payers—for therapies for rare genetic disorders known as orphan diseases that mainly affect children. Genzyme uses biological processes to manufacture drugs that are not easily copied by generic-drug makers. The drugs are also protected by orphan drug acts in various countries which provides extensive protection from competition and ensures coverage by publicly funded insurers. As CEO of Genzyme from 1981 to 2011,he developed corporate strategies for growth including optimizing institutional embeddedness nurturing vast networks of influential groups and clusters:doctors,private equity,patient-groups,insurance,healthcare umbrella organizations,state and local government,and alumni. Termeer was "connected to 311 board members in 17 different organizations across 20 different industries" He has the legacy of being the "longest-serving CEO in the biotechnology industry.
Greater Boston,primarily Boston and Cambridge,is home to more than 1,000 biotechnology companies,ranging from small start-ups to billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies. The many universities in the area give the region a large network of scientists.
Intellia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel,potentially curative therapeutics leveraging CRISPR-based technologies. The company's in vivo programs use intravenously administered CRISPR as the therapy,in which the company's proprietary delivery technology enables highly precise editing of disease-causing genes directly within specific target tissues. Intellia's ex vivo programs use CRISPR to create the therapy by using engineered human cells to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Jeffrey Leiden is an American businessman who is the executive chairman of Vertex Pharmaceuticals,a biotechnology company based in Boston,Massachusetts. He was initially appointed to the board of directors of the company in 2009 and was CEO and president from February 2012 to March 2020.
Steven Nathan Berk is an American lawyer and former judge. He served as an Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 2016 to 2021.
