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A Look at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's

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A Look at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease characterized by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene, which often cause lung infections, respiratory failure, and other breathing complications. A progressive disorder, CF also has symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and male infertility. It affects in excess of 70,000 people worldwide, with as many as 1,000 new cases diagnosed per year. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is working to reduce this number by funding critical research and advocating for helpful programs and policies at the local, state, and federal government levels.

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease characterized by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene, which often cause lung infections, respiratory failure, and other breathing complications. A progressive disorder, CF also has symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and male infertility. It affects in excess of 70,000 people worldwide, with as many as 1,000 new cases diagnosed per year. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is working to reduce this number by funding critical research and advocating for helpful programs and policies at the local, state, and federal government levels.

The CFF's advocacy efforts are based on the following five core principles: adequacy, affordability, availability, transparency, and value. More specifically, it strives to ensure that those diagnosed with CF have access to affordable health insurance that covers critical CF therapies and care provided by accredited care teams.

In regard to its federal advocacy efforts, the CFF monitors and analyzes legislation to influence policy decisions affecting those with CF. At a 2019 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, Chad Riedy, CFF volunteer national advocacy co-chair, testified about the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its protections, including a ban on lifetime coverage caps and out-of-pocket expense limits.

The CFF is a major proponent of the ACA, noting that it has provided the aforementioned protections, among others, to people with pre-existing conditions. One of the CFF's main policy priorities is ensuring these protections remain in place. To that end, it is monitoring issues such as copay accumulator programs, drug pricing, and annual price increases exceeding the rate of inflation.

The nonprofit foundation also operates the Infection Research Initiative, which supports antibiotics development for chronic and acute respiratory infections. This is a particularly important cause, as those with CF are more likely to experience multi-drug-resistant infections than otherwise healthy individuals.

The CFF committed to donating $100 million to advance infection research in 2018 and has also funded millions of dollars in academic research awards to support critical antibiotics development. It additionally supports the Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms Act of 2019 and the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance Act, both of which have been proposed to Congress to support new drug development and stabilize prices.

To further garner support for policies benefiting individuals with CF, the CFF works alongside the Congressional CF Caucus, which is composed of over 130 bipartisan elected officials who, in addition to raising awareness, support CF drug discovery and development and promote collaboration between private organizations and the public sector. The Congressional CF Caucus is co-chaired by Senators Charles Grassley and Edward Markey and Representatives Mark Amodei and Jim McGovern.

At the state level, the CFF advocates for funding of programs essential to individuals with CF. It also lobbies Medicaid, among other insurers, to enact coverage decisions supporting quality and specialized care access. An example of its state advocacy efforts is its work to garner increased funding for Ohio's Children with Medical Handicaps program.

The CFF implores CF community members to write members of Congress for increased US Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health funding. It has also advocated for important legislation such as the Expanding and Promoting Expertise in Review of Rare Treatments Act and Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act, signed into law in 2012 and 2015, respectively.

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A Look at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease characterized by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene, which often cause lung infections, respiratory failure, and other breathing complications. A progressive disorder, CF also has symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and male infertility.

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Divestments — When and How to Do Them Effectively

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Divestments — When and How to Do Them Effectively

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In the world of finance, divesting is the act of disposing of a business unit or asset through a sale. A divestment or divestiture is often thought of as the opposite of an acquisition. In an acquisition, a company purchases another company or business unit and adds it to the fold. In a divestment or divestiture, a company sells part of its business to another company.

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In the world of finance, divesting is the act of disposing of a business unit or asset through a sale. A divestment or divestiture is often thought of as the opposite of an acquisition. In an acquisition, a company purchases another company or business unit and adds it to the fold. In a divestment or divestiture, a company sells part of its business to another company.

A company may decide to divest par of its business for several reasons. It could be that the company is pivoting into a new area and the old business unit will not be a good fit going forward. It could be that the business unit is unprofitable and exerts a financial and administrative burden on the company. A company also may divest part of its business to realize gains in its intrinsic value or to raise capital to invest in more promising segments of the business.

External reasons for divesting also exist. These include regulations that force companies to divest to avoid regulatory scrutiny or comply with anti-monopoly laws and market factors that force companies to divest to avoid stiff competition or the dragnet of disruptive technologies.

Today's business environment is demanding, ever-changing, and highly competitive. Further, resources are limited. A company with an optimal business structure allocates financial and human capital to the business units that create the highest value. When a company cannot derive value from a business unit, the company should divest itself from that unit. Companies should conduct regular portfolio reviews to evaluate the parts of their business that provide little or no value.

During these reviews, managers can use reliable, standardized metrics to evaluate the performance of each business unit against other business units and similar business units by competitors. If a unit adds no value or destroys value, divesting should be discussed.

If executives decide to divest, they should do it quickly. McKinsey's research shows that divestitures completed in one year deliver higher shareholder returns than those that drag on longer. The secrets to divesting effectively are an accurate definition of the scope of the divestment and good marketing.

Executives should start a divestiture by clearly defining the asset to be sold. What facilities and physical assets will be sold? Will products or inventory items be sold with the unit? Which operations will get cut? Will the sale involve the disposition of intellectual property or the loss of commercial capabilities such as sales? Which systems will go and which will remain? The company should begin marketing the asset only when the company is clear about the scope of the asset.

The first part of marketing is considering the entire market to identify the players who may be interested in the business unit. What would they find attractive about it? A buyer may be interested in an acquisition if it brings geographic diversity, new technological capabilities, or an experienced management team. A buyer also may appreciate a business unit's commercial business and how the business unit is compatible with other parts of the buyer's core business.

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Divestments - When and How to Do Them Effectively

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In the world of finance, divesting is the act of disposing of a business unit or asset through a sale. A divestment or divestiture is often thought of as the opposite of an acquisition. In an acquisition, a company purchases another company or business unit and adds it to the fold.