Biotech Boss Asks Governor for Help in Uncertain Times

Chris Viehbacher, the CEO of Biogen, had a message for Governor Maura Healey at a recent event hosted by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. He was worried about the changes happening in Washington and how they might affect his business. Viehbacher pointed out that his company faces lots of risks already, like deciding where to invest and what science to focus on. But now, there's a new kind of risk from the new administration in D. C. He told the governor that meetings at important health agencies like the FDA, NIH, and CDC were suddenly cancelled. This could make things tough for Biogen, which gets a lot of funding from the NIH. Viehbacher thanked Healey for supporting the life sciences sector in Massachusetts. He said that many companies are worried about getting venture capital funding and that the IPO market isn't open right now. He hoped that the governor's support would help the biotech community. Healey responded by saying that her administration and the state legislature are fully behind the life sciences companies. She promised that Massachusetts will keep supporting these businesses, no matter what happens at the federal level.