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Iowa needs to stay on its toes to compete with other states for biosciences jobs, says the head of a trade group that represents the country’s largest pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies.

Billy Tauzin, president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said state leaders need to maintain a welcoming business climate for biosciences companies through economic incentives and by strengthening the state’s educational infrastructure that supports research efforts. PhRMA’s member companies own 90 percent of the bioscience patents issued in this country, according to Tauzin.

“In terms of a bioscience future for this state, we are always concerned that the state adopts good policies to encourage bioscience jobs and to encourage investment in all the intellectual capacity that supports those bioscience jobs,” he said. “Where we seek growth and expansion and job opportunities are those localities where people understand it, encourage it and help educate young minds for those jobs.”

Tauzin, whose visit included meetings with Gov. Chet Culver, state legislators and Des Moines University President Terry Branstad, said some states not traditionally known for biosciences are emerging as leaders.

A study PhRMA recently conducted in West Virginia found that biosciences companies generated a $7 billion impact to that state’s economy, with jobs paying nearly twice the state’s average wage. Overall, West Virginia ranked seventh in the nation for its growth in biosciences jobs over the past 10 years, he said.

“What it says is that even in states (where) you might not think biosciences can play a big economic role, they can,” Tauzin said. “And states that have great education institutions committed to producing talent will also.”

Last month, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin announced a “Bucks for Brains” initiative that proposes a $50 million research endowment for its two state universities, which indicates how intense competition has become among states for attracting biosciences companies, he said.

The former congressman from Louisiana is also an outspoken advocate for the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. During the Iowa caucuses, the partnership organized a campaign that led to adopting a resolution of support for the nationwide initiative in all 99 counties. Tauzin said states that embrace the coalition’s efforts to address chronic diseases will reap the benefits of greater productivity and make themselves more attractive to the growing biosciences industry.

Chronic diseases cost the United States $1.3 trillion annually, primarily due to lost productivity, the partnership estimates. Companies lose 3.7 billion hours annually to chronic diseases, or an average of 35 days per worker.

“So any state that embraces this concept and begins to build upon it with its industry will be a more productive state,” Tauzin said. “If a state says to businesses coming in, ‘We’ll help you keep your health-care costs down,’ what a great business inducement.”