GRA President and CEO Susan Shows to Retire with 22-Year Legacy

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Georgia Life Sciences is encouraged by the recent federal court decision issuing a preliminary injunction that prevents Colorado from implementing its upper payment limit for Amgen’s Enbrel, a patented treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. The ruling underscores a critical concern for the life sciences sector: state-level price controls, particularly those applied to patented medicines, raise significant legal questions and can create uncertainty for the innovation ecosystem that supports the development of new treatments. Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board had sought to impose the nation’s first upper payment limit on a specific prescription medicine. While the goal of improving affordability for patients is important and shared across the healthcare ecosystem, government-set price caps are the wrong approach. They risk undermining investment in biomedical innovation without guaranteeing that savings will reach patients at the pharmacy counter. As more states consider Prescription Drug Affordability Boards with authority to impose upper payment limits, policymakers should proceed with caution. These boards can add costly and complex layers of bureaucracy while creating uncertainty for companies working to discover, develop, manufacture, and deliver new therapies. To date, PDABs have not demonstrated that they meaningfully lower out-of-pocket costs for patients. GLS supports policies that improve affordability and access in ways that directly benefit patients. Rather than pursuing government-set price controls, policymakers should focus on reforms that address the real drivers of patient costs, including ensuring manufacturer rebates are passed through to patients, increasing transparency across the drug supply chain, promoting competition through generics and biosimilars, and expanding affordable insurance coverage. Patients need solutions that lower costs where they feel them most, at the pharmacy counter. Georgia Life Sciences will continue to advocate for patient-focused policies that improve access, preserve innovation, and support a strong life sciences ecosystem. Source: The court blocked Colorado’s first-in-the-nation Enbrel UPL through a preliminary injunction, with the cap set to take effect in January 2027. More here: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/judge-blocks-colorados-first-of-its-kind-price-cap-amgens-enbrel-2026-07-01/

June 18, 2026 - Athens Bioscience, Inc., a US manufacturer of native human and animal proteins, today announced a change in leadership. Benjamin Newland, the company’s Executive Chairman, has become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, effective today. John Mitchell, who has led the company as CEO for five years, will continue as special advisor. Karson Durie rejoins Athens as Chief Operating Officer, effective June 8, 2026. Dee Athwal, a biotechnology executive and antibody engineer, will join the board of directors on July 1, 2026. Newland becomes chief executive four decades after his father, Dr. Hillary Newland, co-founded the company that became Athens Bioscience in 1986 at the University of Georgia. Newland has served as Chairman and majority shareholder since March 2024 and is relocating from Spain to Athens, Georgia, to take the role. “For forty years Athens has made native proteins in-house, lot after lot — proteins that researchers and diagnostics labs build their own work on top of,” said Benjamin Newland, Chairman and CEO of Athens Bioscience. “What we want to do now is deepen relationships with our core customers and broaden our distribution.We also intend to develop our custom and contract manufacturing line of business. John was instrumental in building internal systems and processes and now we are ready to scale.” Mitchell led Athens for five years. As special advisor, he will support the transition and continue to advise on customer and commercial matters. “Athens made great proteins long before I showed up. What it needed was a tighter operation behind them – steadier planning, cleaner production, shipments you can count on,” said John Mitchell. “That’s built now. The next thing is getting Athens in front of more of the world and I look forward to supporting Benjamin as he moves forward with that.” Durie returns to Athens as Chief Operating Officer, having most recently served as Director of Product Development at Danimer Scientific. She previously served as Lab Director at Athens. She holds a PhD in polymer chemistry and an MBA in finance from the University of Georgia and is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a registered patent agent. “I know this facility and the people in it,” said Karson Durie, Chief Operating Officer of Athens Bioscience. “Returning as COO is a chance to scale what already works — consistent lots, tight quality control, reliable supply — as demand grows across diagnostics and cell culture.” Athwal will join the board on July 1. He trained as a biophysicist and established the antibody engineering group at Celltech, where he is named as an inventor on foundational antibody-engineering patents. He has founded or co-founded five biotechnology companies and held C-level roles across the UK, US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, including building Complement Therapeutics as CEO and leading the biologics strategy at Kelix Bio through its acquisition by Mubadala. His work in antibodies, immune proteins, and complement biology maps directly to Athens’s largest product lines. About Athens Bioscience  Athens Bioscience, Inc. (formerly Athens Research & Technology) manufactures native human and animal proteins for research, cell culture media, and in vitro diagnostics. Founded in 1985 at the University of Georgia, the company purifies more than 170 native proteins in-house at its ISO 9001:2015-certified facility in Athens, Georgia. Athens proteins have been cited in more than 2,500 peer-reviewed publications and reach customers across the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Athens does not resell or broker. It manufactures. Media Contact Christie DeMasi Athens Bioscience, Inc. christie@athensbioscience.com +1.706.546.0207