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Georgia Life Sciences connected 23 educators with hands-on STEM learning and industry experts at its Savannah workshop to strengthen the workforce pipeline.

Georgia Life Sciences Institute connects 23 chemistry teachers with industry professionals to bring real-world career opportunities into the classroom. The Georgia Life Sciences Institute (GLSI) recently organized an industry visit for 23 Forsyth County chemistry teachers to Bend Bioscience in Gainesville, Georgia, offering educators a firsthand look at the careers, skills, and opportunities available within the state's growing life sciences sector. During the visit, teachers engaged directly with Bend Bioscience employees, toured the facility, and explored how concepts taught in chemistry classrooms translate into real-world applications. Conversations focused on workforce needs, career pathways, and the combination of technical and professional skills that help employees succeed in the life sciences industry. A particular area of interest was Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC), functions essential to maintaining the quality, safety, and consistency of life sciences products. These discussions helped educators better understand the range of careers available to students, including opportunities beyond traditional research and laboratory roles. The experience also demonstrated the impact of connecting educators directly with industry. Several participating teachers shared that the visit inspired them to discuss life sciences career opportunities with their own children, illustrating how greater career awareness can extend beyond the classroom. Both the educators and Bend Bioscience team expressed interest in continued engagement, reinforcing the value of building stronger connections between Georgia's schools and life sciences employers. Connecting Education and Industry Through initiatives like this visit, GLSI works to bridge the gap between education and industry by giving teachers direct exposure to the companies, technologies, and careers shaping Georgia's life sciences ecosystem. By equipping educators with firsthand industry knowledge, GLSI helps bring greater career awareness and real-world relevance into classrooms across the state, introducing students to pathways they may not have previously considered. Georgia Life Sciences Institute extends its appreciation to Bend Bioscience for welcoming Forsyth County educators and investing time in the teachers who help prepare Georgia's future workforce. Together, these partnerships are helping build awareness of the diverse opportunities available in Georgia's life sciences industry and strengthen the state's future talent pipeline.

J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week is one of the most business-forward weeks of the year for the life sciences industry—a time when companies, investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders come together to build relationships, explore investment opportunities, and advance innovation. GLS is helping our community make the most of the week with opportunities to connect, partner, and engage with the broader life sciences investment community. Here are a few events and member benefits to add to your calendar. State Bio Friends Kickoff 2027 📅 January 10 | 4:00–7:00 PM 📍 The Marker San Francisco 🎟️ To request a registration code, contact Stacey Bowlin at sbowlin@galifesciences.org . RESI JPM 2027 GLS is proud to partner with Life Science Nation to offer our community $300 off registration for RESI JPM 2027 . RESI JPM connects early-stage life sciences companies with investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders through networking, partnering, and programming focused on advancing innovation and investment. 📍 In person: January 11–12 | San Francisco Marriott Marquis 📅 Virtual partnering: January 13, 18, and 19 🎟️ Please use code GABIO to r eceive $300 off registration Biotech Showcase GLS is pleased to partner with Biotech Showcase to help connect our community with this important industry gathering. Taking place January 11-13, Biotech Showcase is a premier investor conference for private and emerging publicly traded biotech companies, bringing together innovators and investors to explore partnerships and financing opportunities. 📅 January 11–13 📍Hilton San Francisco Union Square 🎟️ Please use cod e supGALS2027 to receive $200 off registration Fierce JPM Week 📅 January 12–13 📍 Hyatt Regency San Francisco 🎟️ Secure your pass We encourage our members and partners to take advantage of these opportunities and represent Georgia’s growing life sciences community on the national stage. We look forward to connecting with you in San Francisco!

As pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies expand U.S. manufacturing operations, a growing demand for specialized talent underscores the importance of industry-driven workforce development. October 16, 2026 | Georgia Life Sciences The United States is experiencing a resurgence in domestic manufacturing investment, with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies announcing major expansions and new production facilities. But as investment accelerates, a critical challenge is emerging: ensuring that a skilled workforce is available to support this growth. According to a Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute study , approximately 3.8 million manufacturing positions could need to be filled nationwide through 2033 , with as many as 1.9 million potentially remaining unfilled due to workforce and skills gaps. While these projections span the broader manufacturing sector, the implications for life sciences are significant. Biomanufacturing's Growing Talent Challenge A recent PharmaVoice article examines how pharmaceutical companies are responding to growing competition for skilled workers, particularly in specialized roles such as automation engineering, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, process engineering, and manufacturing operations. These positions are essential to bringing new facilities online, maintaining regulatory compliance, and ensuring safe, reliable production. The challenge extends beyond competition among pharmaceutical manufacturers. Life sciences companies are increasingly competing with industries such as semiconductors, aerospace, energy, and advanced manufacturing for workers with similar technical skills. Some companies are responding by investing directly in regional education and training partnerships. Eli Lilly, for example, recently committed $15 million to San Jacinto College in Texas, including $12.5 million dedicated to workforce training, alongside a major manufacturing expansion in the Houston area. The message is increasingly clear: Workforce planning must begin alongside facility planning, not after construction is complete. What This Means for Georgia Georgia has an opportunity to build on its growing biomanufacturing presence, established industry base, research universities, and technical education infrastructure. However, continued success will depend on ensuring that workforce development keeps pace with industry investment. As manufacturing technologies evolve, employers will need workers with expertise in automation, digital systems, quality control, and advanced production processes. Traditional education pathways alone may not be sufficient to meet these changing needs. That makes stronger collaboration among employers, educational institutions, workforce organizations, and policymakers increasingly important. Through its Manufacturing Council, Georgia Life Sciences is working to strengthen industry engagement and better understand employers' evolving workforce needs. These conversations help identify opportunities to align education and training with the skills companies need today and anticipate those they will require tomorrow. The Georgia Life Sciences Institute also supports the long-term talent pipeline through education and workforce initiatives designed to introduce students and educators to life sciences careers and strengthen connections between education and industry. Looking Ahead: Talent as a Competitive Advantage As states compete to attract life sciences investment, workforce readiness will increasingly influence where companies choose to expand and how successfully those investments translate into long-term economic growth. For Georgia, the opportunity is not simply to attract new facilities but to build the talent ecosystem necessary to sustain them. That requires earlier employer engagement, flexible training models, stronger industry-education partnerships, and continued attention to emerging technologies that are changing the nature of manufacturing work. The next chapter of biomanufacturing growth will be defined not only by where companies invest, but by where they can find, develop, and retain the talent needed to succeed. Related Reading Deloitte: Taking Charge — Manufacturers Support Growth With Active Workforce Strategies PharmaVoice: Pharma's Manufacturing Boom Has a Workforce Problem

Georgia Life Sciences has submitted written comments to the Georgia House Study Committee on Pharmacy Benefits Managers and Consumers’ Access to Prescription Medications, encouraging greater transparency, accountability, and a focus on measurable patient benefit across the prescription drug system. The comments address both pharmacy benefit manager practices and the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, emphasizing the importance of understanding where prescription drug savings accrue and whether those savings ultimately benefit patients. The Study Committee continues its work this fall as it develops recommendations for the Georgia General Assembly. Read Georgia Life Sciences’ full comments →

Georgia Life Sciences (GLS) has joined more than 80 organizations from across industry, academia, public health and the biosecurity community in calling on congressional leaders to fully reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) before the end of 2026. Led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the coalition urged congressional leaders to advance a comprehensive reauthorization of PAHPA, the federal framework that supports the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies and other health security threats. First enacted in 2006, PAHPA established and strengthened critical components of the nation’s health security infrastructure, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The law also supports public-private partnerships involved in the research, development, manufacturing and procurement of medical countermeasures, including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. PAHPA’s authorization expired in 2023 and key provisions have since continued through short-term extensions. The coalition is calling for a comprehensive reauthorization that provides greater stability and ensures the nation’s preparedness infrastructure can continue adapting to emerging biological, infectious disease and other health security threats. For the life sciences industry, these programs are particularly important. Partnerships between government and industry can help move promising technologies from research through development and manufacturing while maintaining capabilities needed to respond quickly during an emergency. The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), also a signatory to the letter, has identified several priorities for reauthorization, including continued authorization of BARDA, the Strategic National Stockpile, Project BioShield and the Pandemic Influenza Program, as well as incentives supporting the development of medical countermeasures. Georgia Life Sciences is proud to join organizations across the country in supporting a strong and sustainable national framework for health security, preparedness and biomedical innovation. Read the coalition letter and view the full list of signatories.

Georgia Life Sciences has submitted comments to the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) regarding the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program and implementation of new federal Medicaid requirements. As Georgia prepares for these changes, Georgia Life Sciences is urging state leaders to prioritize continuity of care and minimize unnecessary administrative barriers that could delay or disrupt access to medically necessary treatment . This is particularly important for Georgians living with serious, chronic, rare, and medically complex conditions who may rely on ongoing medications, diagnostics, therapies, medical technologies, specialty care, and coordinated treatment plans. Even temporary disruptions in coverage can interrupt care and create additional challenges for patients and families. In its comments, Georgia Life Sciences encouraged DCH to protect continuity of coverage during eligibility and redetermination processes, provide patients and caregivers with clear and timely information, minimize unnecessary administrative burdens, and establish appropriate safeguards when a coverage disruption could interrupt an established course of treatment. “As Georgia implements these new federal requirements, we want to ensure that patients remain at the center of the process,” said Maria Thacker Goethe, MPH, President & CEO of Georgia Life Sciences. “Administrative changes should not become barriers between patients and the care they need. Protecting continuity of care is particularly important for Georgians managing serious and complex health conditions.” Read Georgia Life Sciences’ full comments to DCH here.

The White House, August 31, 2026 - ADVANCING MOST-FAVORED-NATION (MFN) PRICING: Today, President Donald J. Trump announced nine new agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers to lower prescription drug prices for Americans in line with the lowest prices paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price). The agreements bring the total number of pharmaceutical manufacturers with MFN deals to 26, covering 89% of the branded drug market. The nine manufacturers are comprised of mid-sized pharmaceutical companies, including Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Sun Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and UCB. The agreements reduce prices on drugs that treat numerous costly, chronic, and even rare diseases, including hemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, liver disease, skin conditions, and various forms of cancer. The agreements will provide every State Medicaid program in the country access to MFN drug prices on products made by the nine companies, resulting in billions of dollars in savings for Americans and continuing President Trump’s historic efforts to strengthen the program for the most vulnerable. The agreements ensure foreign nations can no longer use price controls to freeride on American innovation by guaranteeing MFN prices on all new innovative medicines the nine companies bring to market. Each of these manufacturers has agreed to fundamentally rebalance international drug pricing by providing MFN pricing to American patients. BOLSTERING AMERICA’S PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAINS AND RESERVES: These nine pharmaceutical manufacturers committed to invest at least $19.6 billion collectively in U.S. manufacturing in the near term. Additionally, as part of the MFN agreements, several companies are donating active pharmaceutical ingredients for key products to the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR) to reduce reliance on foreign nations and ensure the United States has an adequate supply of such products in the event of an emergency. UCB will contribute 163 tons of levetiracetam, an anticonvulsant used to control and prevent certain types of seizures, to the SAPIR. Sun Pharma will contribute 71.4 tons of clindamycin and 6.75 tons of doxycycline; both antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, to the SAPIR. Teva Pharmaceuticals will contribute 45 metric tons of metronidazole, an antibiotic and antiprotozoal used to treat certain bacterial and parasitic infections, and 4.8 tons of amlodipine, an antihypertensive drug, to the SAPIR. Astellas will contribute 25 kg of tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant used to prevent organ rejection in people who have had organ transplants, to the SAPIR. LOWERING COSTS FOR AMERICANS: President Trump’s decisive and historic actions are lowering drug prices for the American people. Since its February launch, patients have saved more than $700 million on medicines through TrumpRx, including massive discounts on some of the most popular and costly medications used to treat obesity and infertility. In July of 2026, senior citizens without access to GLP-1 coverage to treat obesity gained access for just $50 per month. In the two months since the launch of this program, over 500,000 seniors have saved a total of $216 million dollars on these life-changing medicines. The Council of Economic Advisers estimates the total savings from President Trump’s MFN deals to reach $600 billion over the next decade. DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICAN PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is delivering on promises for American patients, accomplishing historic wins that the political establishment did not believe were possible. On May 12, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled: “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” directing the Administration to take numerous actions to bring American drug prices in line with those paid by similar nations. On July 31, 2025, President Trump sent letters to 17 of the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers outlining the steps they must take to bring down the prices of prescription drugs in the United States to match the lowest price offered in other developed nations. There are now MFN deals with each of those leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. On September 30, 2025, President Trump announced the first agreement, with the drug manufacturer Pfizer, to bring MFN prices to American patients. On December 1, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Health and Human Services announced an agreement with the United Kingdom (U.K.) that will increase the net price of new prescription drugs by 25% in the U.K., helping ensure they pay their fair share for innovative medicines. On December 19, 2025, President Trump announced nine new agreements with major pharmaceutical companies. On February 5, 2026, President Trump launched TrumpRx.gov , where patients can access large discounts on many of the most popular and highest-priced medicines in the country, paying prices in line with the MFN price. As of today, August 31, the Administration now has agreements with Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, EMD Serono, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Regeneron, Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Sun Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and UCB. President Trump is calling on Congress to enact the Great Healthcare Plan , a comprehensive plan to lower drug prices, lower insurance premiums, hold big insurance companies accountable, and maximize price transparency. Source: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Deal with Nine Additional Pharmaceutical Manufacturers to Lower Drug Prices for Americans – The White House

NexGard® Plus donation to Johns Creek Police Department K-9 officers marks the company's commitment to the community. JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (August 31, 2026)– Boehringer Ingelheim today celebrated the grand opening of its new U.S. Animal Health headquarters in Johns Creek, Georgia, marking a significant milestone in the company's commitment to innovation, talent, and the future of animal health. Johns Creek was selected for its access to talent in one of the region's fastest-growing life sciences and innovation corridors, and proximity to other Boehringer sites in Georgia. The grand opening brought together elected officials, community leaders, customers, partners, and employees to celebrate Boehringer's presence in Georgia and its purpose of Transforming Lives for Generations through science and innovation. “The animals we care for and the customers we serve are at the center of everything we do,” said Peter Ploeger, U.S. Animal Health Country Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim . “This headquarters was designed to bring our people together, inspire collaboration, and strengthen our ability to develop solutions that improve the lives of companion animals, livestock, and the people who care for them. We are proud to call Johns Creek home and excited about the impact we will create together.” The Johns Creek headquarters complements Boehringer's broader Georgia footprint, which includes research, development, and manufacturing operations in Athens and manufacturing operations in Gainesville. Together, these sites, combining manufacturing, innovation and commercial activities, underline the importance of the U.S. for the company, which continues to invest in Georgia operations to deliver solutions that advance animal health around the world, according to event remarks from Dr. Armin Wiesler, Member of the Board of Managing Directors, Animal Health Business Unit . Georgia and local leaders, including Select Fulton Director of Economic Development Samir Abdullahi, highlighted Boehringer Ingelheim's continued investment in Georgia and commitment to the Johns Creek community. “Georgia continues to attract world-class companies because of our skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, and commitment to innovation,” said Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp . “Boehringer Ingelheim's investment in Johns Creek, along with their strong support of First Lady Marty Kemp's animal welfare efforts and K-9 law enforcement officers, reinforces their commitment to being a long-term partner with the State of Georgia." As part of the grand opening celebration, Alexandra McMenamy, U.S. Animal Health, Head of Pet at Boehringer , joined Chief Mitchell and local officials in presenting a donation of NexGard® Plus parasite protection to the Johns Creek Police Department's K-9 Unit in recognition of the department's service to the community. “We are proud to welcome a company committed to the well-being of animals,” said Mayor John Bradberry . “Boehringer Ingelheim’s support of the Johns Creek Police Department’s K-9 Unit is greatly appreciated.” The donation, made just after International Dog Day (August 26), highlights the company's commitment to supporting both animal health and the communities where its employees live and work.