HEALTH CARE TECHNOLOGY: California Leads Nation, Says Report
The field of health care technology employs more than 200,000 Californians, exports more than $4 billion in products annually, spends more than $11 billion per year on biomedical R&D, leads the nation in medical device production and received more National Institutes of Health funding that any other state in 1997, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the California Healthcare Institute and KPMG Peat Marwick, found that with one-third of the nation's biotechnology companies and 28% of high-tech medical device and diagnostics firms, California has become the world headquarters for biomedical innovation. Health care technology is now one of the state's largest high technology employers, trailing only the electronics industry which employs 255,000 people. The study also found that the state's health care technology industry is delivering cutting-edge products that help reduce hospital stays, replace surgery with drug therapy, overcome incurable conditions and prevent disease. In 1997, the $11 billion in R&D spending went for unmet medical needs, including AIDS, heart disease, hepatitis and cancer. Furthermore, the state received $1.6 billion in funding from NIH and received more FDA approvals for new technologies than any other state in the U.S. To access the report, go to www.chi.org/report.html (CHI release, 9/14).
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