PHRMA

PhRMA Statement on Comparative Effectiveness Bill

Washington, D.C. (March 5, 2008) —Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson today issued the following statement on Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) comparative clinical effectiveness bill:

“PhRMA supports the development and use of high-quality evidence, including comparative clinical effectiveness evidence, for healthcare decision-making. Proposals to expand government-supported comparative clinical effectiveness research should be structured to promote better patient health and timely patient access to needed therapies, and avoid denying or delaying patients’ access to beneficial care, as what often occurs in Europe and Australia.

“We applaud Senators Baucus and Conrad’s commitment to finding solutions to America’s health care challenges. By creating a new comparative effectiveness research institute, Senator Baucus and Senator Conrad are taking an important step to help ensure that government-supported research encourages patient access to beneficial care and is centered on patient and physician needs and improved health care quality.

“PhRMA will continue to review the details of the bill, and look forward to working with both Chairmen and other members Congress on this important issue."

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $43 billion in 2006 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $55.2 billion in 2006.

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