The California Healthcare Institute (CHI), a nonprofit, public policy research organisation, and the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio), the association for the Northern California life science community, announced that the two organisations have signed a letter of intent to merge their operations into a newly created organisation, to be called the California Biomedical Innovation Alliance (CBI), representing the entire biomedical ecosystem of the state of California in one organisation. The merger of the two organisations is expected to be completed by end of the first quarter of 2015.

Rick Winningham, chairman and chief executive officer of Theravance BioPharma and chairman of CHI, will become the initial chairman of CBI upon completion of the merger. Hal Van Wart, president and chief executive officer of CymaBay Therapeutics and chairman of BayBio, will become the initial vice chairman of CBI.

“Never before has there been so much potential to bring improved health to so many people around the globe, but without supportive public policy, the potential of new innovations to transform health and life will not be realised,” said Winningham. “The merger of CHI and BayBio will create the strongest possible organisation, capable of advocating for policies that support innovation and enable the success of our member organisations, as well as the growth of the life sciences sector within California.”

“As our member organisations face an increasingly complex environment, they require an advocate that is best able to advance the policies and goals that will enable their success,” said Dr. Van Wart. “CBI will become a model for furthering the goals of its member organisations and, as a consequence, will enable improvements in the health and well-being of countless individuals living with serious medical conditions around the world.”

Sara Radcliffe will join CBI as president and chief executive officer. Ms. Radcliffe has worked in life sciences advocacy and policy for more than two decades, most recently serving as executive vice president for Health for the Washington, DC-based Biotechnology Industry Organisation.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of California’s biomedical sector. Advancements in science and technology combined with rapidly evolving reimbursement and care delivery environments will create significant opportunities and challenges in the years to come,” said Ms. Radcliffe. “I have worked with many CHI and BayBio staff and member organisations during my career, and I am very much looking forward to leading the newly formed CBI’s efforts to fortify and expand the breadth, depth and reach of CHI and BayBio’s mission of advocacy on behalf of biomedical innovation throughout the State of California.”

The newly combined organisation, at greater than twice the size of the current entities, will be a strong advocate for the continued growth and advancement of biomedical innovation in California and for the members of both organisations, while continuing to offer practical programmes and services to support members as they work to bring new medical advances to patients. CBI will be headquartered in California with offices in La Jolla, South San Francisco and Sacramento, as well as Washington, DC.

The boards of CHI and BayBio want to recognise and express thanks for the many contributions of Todd Gillenwater, Gail Maderis and their staffs. The goal of this merger is to leverage and extend the talents of these two organizations. A major emphasis of the merger is policy and advocacy and it is expected that Mr. Gillenwater will have an expanded global policy, advocacy and communications role in the combined organisation and will lead this from Washington, DC An integration team led by the new CEO, Sara Radcliffe, will ultimately determine the roles and responsibilities of the combined staffs.

BayBio brings together the collective strength and experience of the world’s most innovative and productive life science cluster, helping companies grow, connect and advocate to solve some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. BayBio provides comprehensive support and solutions tailored to the unique needs of nearly 1000 Bay Area life science companies and institutions, delivering tangible value through group purchasing savings, capital access, government affairs & advocacy, networking and best-practice sharing. BayBio also supports the future of bioscience innovation through the BayBio Institute’s work in science education, career development and entrepreneurship

BayBio brings together the collective strength and experience of the world’s most innovative and productive life science cluster, helping companies grow, connect and advocate to solve some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. BayBio provides comprehensive support and solutions tailored to the unique needs of nearly 1000 Bay Area life science companies and institutions, delivering tangible value through group purchasing savings, capital access, government affairs & advocacy, networking and best-practice sharing.

California Healthcare Institute (CHI) represents more than 275 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI’s mission is to advance biomedical research, investment, and innovation through effective advocacy of policies to improve public health and ensure the continued vitality of the life sciences sector.