Annual statistics show growth in MA with other clusters on the rise

August 20, 2013 (Cambridge, MA) – Massachusetts biopharma employment continues to grow in Massachusetts, though some other clusters are outpacing the Commonwealth, according to an annual industry report published by MassBio.

The 2013 MassBio Industry Snapshot shows Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in research & development jobs, federal research funding and venture capital investment per capita, but smaller biotech clusters, such as Washington and New York are growing at faster rates as governments increasingly court the industry as an economic development engine.

“Let’s be clear, Massachusetts remains far and away the most robust cluster for industry research and investment, and we continue to grow our presence,” said MassBio President & CEO Robert K. Coughlin. “But we cannot take our eyes off the ball, as the nation and the world try to rebound from the recent recession. We must continue to advocate for policy and regulatory structures that encourage innovation and work to speed the time to market for therapies for patients in need.”

This year’s Snapshot will lay the foundation for the 2020 Report, a strategic report for the industry commissioned by MassBio every five years. The 2020 Report will be produced in partnership with Weston-based Health Advances and completed by spring 2014.

Massachusetts employment in the biopharma industry rose to 56,462 in 2012, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Cen­sus of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and, for the first time, factoring medical testing laboratory employment as part of the industry.

Massachusetts still leads the nation in biotechnology R&D jobs, a segment of the larger industry employment, with more than 27,800 positions in 2012 and maintained its position as the leader in R&D in biotechnology, as defined by industry concentration.

Since 2007, Massachusetts added 3,227 jobs in biotechnology R&D. While this number of jobs added is second only to California (4,304), Massachusetts’ 13.1% growth was outpaced by other clusters, including California (+22.5%), New York  (+41.7%) and Washington (+53.8%).

New this year, MassBio looked at medical device manufacturing in Massachusetts. With 23,151 employees in 2012, the Commonwealth has paced closely to the national growth rate of 2% over the last decade. Only California and Minnesota employ more in the medical device industry, while Minnesota and Massachusetts have the strongest industry concentrations across medical instrument manufacturing industries.

Venture investment in biotech declined 15% across the nation in 2012, and venture investment in Massachusetts biotechs declined from 2011’s all-time high to $838 million in 2012.

Additional highlights from the report include:

• Massachusetts biopharma industry employment reached an all-time high in 2012, continuing the industry’s pattern of growth, and now accounts for over $6.5 billion in payroll.
• The estimated average salary in the biopharma industry is $115,290, 89% higher than the estimated state average salary of $60,901.
• Nationally, biopharma manufacturing employment has declined by 8% since 2002. Massachusetts ran counter to the trend, as one of only four leading biomanufacturing states that grew employment since 2002.
• Massachusetts-headquartered companies have a total of 1,174 drug candidates at some stage of R&D.

1. Oncology drug candidates make up 37% of that pipeline with
2. systemic anti-infectives,
3. central nervous system, and
4. musculoskeletal therapeutics as other strong areas of research.

• Massachusetts accounts for 11.3% of the U.S.-based drug development pipeline. Massachusetts-headquartered companies account for 5% of the global biologics pipeline.
• The top three NIH-funded independent hospitals in the U.S. in 2012 are in Boston. Nine of the top 18 are in Massachusetts.
• On an NIH-funding per capita basis, Massachusetts continues to far exceed other leading NIH-recipient states.
• Since 2007, just under 2.6 million square feet of commercial lab space has been added to inventory in Massachusetts. Over 2 million square feet of new lab space is currently under construction.

This year’s Snapshot was again produced in partnership with EvaluatePharma USA, Inc., the premier source for commercial analysis of the pharma and biotech sector. Snapshot statistics are compiled annually by MassBio from sources including EvaluatePharma, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages and others.

“The 2013 MassBio Industry Snapshot confirms Massachusetts biotech job growth remains strong and is fueled by the local R&D activities.” said Debbie Paul, EvaluatePharma CEO of Americas. “We are proud to support MassBio’s industry analysis, and look forward to the findings of the 2020 Report in the spring.”

The Snapshot findings will be used in MassBio’s 2020 Report in conjunction with stakeholder interviews and analysis of market factors, business trends and competitive clusters. The 2020 Report will include a plan that outlines a clearly articulated vision for the continued growth of the life sciences industry as economics, business models, policies and healthcare practices continue to shift through the next several years. It will assess the critical events, trends, policies and discoveries that will impact the life sciences sector through 2020 and make recommendations to ensure that the industry thrives in Massachusetts for generations to come.

MassBio 2013 Industry Snapshot

For more information on the Massachusetts cluster, or the 2020 Report, visitwww.MassBio.org.

 SOURCE

http://www.massbio.org/news/397-massachusetts_continues_to_lead_biopharma_industry/news_detail?goback=%2Egde_65240_member_267256778#%21