Report from Inside BIO2001

Though IMC was denied press passes for BIO2001, I was able to enter the conference through a press pass legitimately issued to me for a different press organization I work for.

Much of what I saw, I expected to see: mostly white men in suits making decisions that will affect billions of people - whether we like it or not.

What surprised me, though, was that many, or most, of the booths at the conference were not of companies - but of cities, states, and countries trying to lure biotech companies with tax breaks, and cheap rent in corporate parks. So what we have on our hands is our elected officials handing over taxpayer money in order to make it easier for corporations to gain more control over people’s lives.

There was also quite a bit of extremely biased sensationalism in the form of companies and corporate media focussing on health gains made as a result of biotechnology, without discussion of the costs. See related photo and story immediately following.