WASHINGTON, DC (May 16, 2022) – The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) and its Board of Directors announced the promotion of Craig Burton to Senior Vice President, Policy & Strategic Alliances, effective May 30, 2022. He will also become the Executive Director of the Biosimilars Council, which is the preeminent voice advocating in Washington and the states for policies to improve access to more affordable alternatives to expensive biologic medicines.
With more than 20 years of Federal health policy experience, Craig has served in key roles at the center of a range of pressing health care debates. Prior to joining AAM in 2017, Craig was at Avalere Health, where he helped clients anticipate and plan for the impact of change stemming from legislative, regulatory, or other market dynamics. Craig also established and directed the health policy and government relations efforts for two biopharmaceutical companies.
The AAM Board and I are pleased to elevate Craig to Senior Vice President, where he will continue his work to create and promote policy solutions to ensure that America’s patients have access to the safe, affordable, and effective generic and biosimilar medicines that they depend on,
said Dan Leonard, AAM President and CEO. Craig is nationally recognized as a leading expert in health policy, and his experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government makes him an invaluable advocate for our industry and the patients that it serves.
Craig has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he advised the Secretary, senior Department leaders and White House officials on legislative strategy to achieve key priorities. Craig also served in the Senate, where he was Health Policy Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., and as professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
AAM's long-time EVP of Policy and head of the Biosimilars Council, Christine Simmon, has just been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI), the nonprofit membership organization that offers education, training, publications, and professional engagement opportunities in the field of food and drug law.
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About AAM
AAM is driven by the belief that access to safe, quality, effective medicine has a tremendous impact on a person’s life and the world around them. Generic and biosimilar medicines improve people’s lives, improving society and the economy in turn. AAM represents the manufacturers and distributors of finished generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, manufacturers and distributors of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic industry. Generic pharmaceuticals are 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. but only 18 percent of total drug spending.
About the Biosimilars Council
The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), works to ensure a positive environment for patient access to biosimilar medicines. The Biosimilars Council is a leading source for information about the safety and efficacy of more affordable alternatives to costly brand biologic medicines. Areas of focus include public and health expert education, strategic partnerships, government affairs, legal affairs and regulatory policy. More information is available at www.biosimilarscouncil.org.