[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With New Jersey’s status as the “Medicine Chest of the World,” trade groups like the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey and BioNJ, are key voices for the state’s sprawling biopharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. HINJ’s members include many of the world’s largest drugmakers, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer.

And with the Murphy administration’s focus on making New Jersey the “State of Innovation” for many of these sectors, smaller companies are seeking to grow and expand in the Garden State. Companies of all sizes are playing roles as the nation grapples with the stubborn COVID-19 pandemic, as new variants emerge and the virus becomes a bigger part of everyday life.

New Jersey has been an “integral part of the life sciences industries since the turn of the 20th century,” Paranicas said in a November interview.

As telemedicine becomes a more prevalent component of health care, and as the pharmaceutical industry races to keep up with whatever variants crop up, and as researchers work on new booster shots or other treatments, figures like Paranicas will play a pivotal role in  keeping the Garden State on top of the heap. With experience as a senior executive at Becton Dickinson, now known as BD, Paranicas has the background for his role.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]