NJBIZ Conversations: Will Lewis

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Bridgewater-based Insmed had a big year in 2020. As CEO Will Lewis boasted in a Feb. 25 earnings release, the biopharmaceutical developer evolved from a single-product company to one with three promising programs — and it accomplished that feat during a deadly global pandemic that caused widespread business disruptions. As if to top off the year of gains, Lewis was installed recently as the chairman of BioNJ, the trade association for the life sciences industry in New Jersey. For the latest edition of NJBIZ Conversations, Editor Jeff Kanige spoke with Lewis about Insmed’s products — which target rare and serious diseases, including COVID-19, his outlook for the next several months and the role BioNJ and its members can and should play in the state’s health care industry. “When we think about the life sciences industry it’s absolutely a cornerstone industry in the state, but even much more broadly than that the industry itself has a stake in the ecosystem and trying to ensure that the business is as successful as it can be — and we have really locked arms with the government in that regard,” he said. “Under Gov. Murphy’s recent piece of legislation, the Economic Recovery Act there’s tremendous incentives and support that have been given for not just the biotech industry. And we’re very grateful for that, but broadly across all business in New Jersey and I think that’s been a piece of legislation that’s a long time coming.” Watch the full interview here.