PhRMA nudges BIO on marketing code

Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, is continuing to publicly pressure Jim Greenwood, president of Biotechnology Industry Organization, to adopt PhRMA's marketing code. BIO has been considering it, but says the code may be a difficult fit because few of its members market products and the products promoted are complex (1"The Pink Sheet" DAILY, Nov. 18, 2008). At a briefing for reporters Jan. 14, Tauzin said, "Jim tells me ... [that] sometime in February or March they are planning to make a decision, and hopefully they'll endorse the code." For its part, BIO said, "We have no specific timetable set for this discussion.