PhRMA Statement on Healthcare Issues

Washington, D.C. (November 10, 2008) — Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson released the following statement today about upcoming healthcare issues:

“As our nation’s leaders look ahead and begin to shape their agendas for next year, America’s pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies – which lead the world in discovering new cures and treatments for patients – welcome the opportunity to help address the difficult healthcare challenges facing America.

“As always, we will work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and will continue to support policies that encourage and strengthen innovation, improve patient access to medicines and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans.

“The policy landscape over the next year remains unclear but we certainly look forward to having an open dialogue with the new Administration, members of Congress and other stakeholders about policies that can benefit patient care. Such policies include the State Children’s Healthcare Insurance Program (SCHIP) which helps provide health coverage for millions of low-income families so that children can receive regular health exams and preventative care.

“To help ease the burden of disease – specifically chronic disease – and improve the quality of health care in the U.S., PhRMA supports extending health insurance coverage to millions of Americans who currently lack it.

“PhRMA recently unveiled its Platform for a Healthy America, which includes comprehensive and meaningful proposals that can help reduce costs and strengthen the quality of care for American patients. The platform supports a dual approach that focuses on expanding private health insurance while improving access to public programs, such as Medicaid and SCHIP. (Please visit www.phrma.org for more information about the platform.)

“An important component we support in the platform is patient access to safe and affordable medicines – both brand-name and generic – because studies have shown that both play an important role in lowering healthcare costs by helping keep patients out of the hospital. To help improve patient access to safe medicines in America, however, it is critical that risky proposals – such as prescription drug importation – that could weaken the U.S. drug supply and endanger patient lives do not move forward. (To learn more about the dangers associated with importation, please visit www.buysafedrugs.info.)

“We look forward to continuing our dialogue on all of these important issues – and many more – with President-elect Obama and members of the next Congress.”

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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 $44.5 billion in 2007 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $58.8 billion in 2007.

PhRMA Internet Address: www.phrma.org

For information on stories of hope and survival, visit: http://sharingmiracles.com/

PhRMA en Español: www.nuestraphrma.org

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: www.innovation.org

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: www.pparx.org

For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit: www.buysafedrugs.info