PHRMA

There is much to be proud of about the contributions of the pharmaceutical industry. The world's medicine chest is filled to an extent that was unthinkable just a few decades ago. Millions live longer and better as a result of the inspired and dedicated work of our scientists. Vaccines are creating one of the greatest public health success stories in human history. New medicines for cancer and HIV/AIDS provide hope and help to many who never had hope and help before. And we can expect this progress to continue because our laboratories are involved in cutting edge research based on new and exciting information on the fundamental mechanisms of disease and health.

However, as companies and as an industry, we will not succeed if we don't start closing our trust deficit. And we won't accomplish this simply with more effective education efforts or better communications. While those are necessary, they are simply not sufficient in today's environment.

We must rebuild the foundation of trust that we once had and the foundation of trust that we continue to deserve.

And, as we build that foundation of trust, we can do so without compromising our core values. Among them:

• Belief in the power of markets to best determine the value of our medicines
• Support for strong intellectual property protection as a necessary prerequisite for innovation 
• Trust in a rigorous, scientifically-based regulatory process to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of our medicines 
• Confidence that we have a right – and responsibility – to provide balanced information to prescribers and patients about our medicines 
• And commitment to access and serving the needs of society

We know that these values are not only in our best interest – they are in the best interest of the patients that we serve.