Protesters are seen during a rally to protest the executive order that President Donald Trump signed clamping down on refugee admissions and temporarily restricting travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries in New York City on January 29.
Forget about the uncertainty over an Obamacare repeal and replacement, or the fear of brute force of President Donald Trump clamping down on drug industry pricing practices. The healthcare industry appears to be reeling, as are large swaths of the country, from Trump’s recent executive order that bans citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations —Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia — from entry to the land created by immigrants fleeing religious persecution.
Already some companies and institutions are speaking out. Consider Brent Saunder’s — CEO of Allergan — reaction on Twitter:
$AGN is strong & bold bc of diversity. Oppose any policy that puts limitations on our ability to attract the best & diverse talent.
— Brent Saunders (@brentlsaunders) January 29, 2017
The sentiment harkens back to the stance that several life science companies took against state efforts to limit definitions of marriage to that between a man and a woman. That diversity is actually good for business so anything contrary to that is bad.
“This move will have a negative impact on the productivity of the biotech industry if it stands,” said Bassil Dahiyat, CEO of Xencor, in a statement to Endpoints. “Talent is hard to come by and closing the door to any sources is bad.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
In fact, although The Street’s Adam Feuerstein observed that no big pharma CEOs had so far taken a stand on the ban and its impact on employees, biotech companies were more willing to make their sentiments known in no uncertain terms.
In a “snap poll” of the biotech industry that got nearly 700 responses, Endpoints noted the majority were against the ban and also believed it would have an impact on the sector.
And like Dahiyat of Xencor, Paul James Hastings, CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, was one of several CEOs to state their position on the ban to Endpoints on the record. Hastings looked at the travel ban and interpreted it as many have done — as a Muslim ban:
“Any ban on any race or religion has an impact on our industry because our industry is one of science and reason. Many of us are immigrants, sons and daughters of immigrants or married to immigrants ( I am gay and married to my immigrant husband from Vietnam who came here in 1980). This ban has an impact on every decent human in the world…a negative impact. Plain and simple, this is NOT who we are as an industry or as a people, period.”
For healthcare systems and hospitals facing physician shortages, Trump’s ban only exacerbated concerns, given the international makeup of most medical schools and healthcare facilities in this country.
Texas is one state that is grappling with that issue.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told The Dallas Morning News that the ban would have a chilling effect on clinicians and scientists coming to the U.S. to work.
“My concern is that any doctor or scientist from an Arab or Muslim country will now think twice about coming to the U.S. for post-doctoral study or a faculty position,” he said. “I’m concerned that two months from now the ban will extend to other countries in the Middle East.”
Cleveland Clinic acknowledged that some employees were affected by the ban in a statement on its website. A first-year resident, Suha Abushamma, was forced to return to Saudi Arabia soon after her arrival in New York because she has a Sudanese passport.
In a statement on its website, Cleveland Clinic wrote:
“Recent immigration action taken by the White House has caused a great deal of uncertainty and has impacted some of our employees who are traveling overseas,” the statement said. “We deeply care about all of our employees and are fully committed to the safe return of those who have been affected by this action.”
What’s unclear is whether the health system will still go ahead with its upcoming fundraiser at a Trump resort.
Awkward.
Meanwhile, a federal judge has stayed parts of the executive order. But it looks like 2017 will be a year where business and government will be on a collision course in more ways than one and definitely much more than usual.
Photo: Noam Galai/WireImage, Getty Images contributor
