Washington, DC—The Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation’s Executive Director Patrick O’Connor released the following statement on the president’s State of the Union Address:
“I understand the president wants to tout a policy win on the campaign trail, but pegging drug prices in the U.S. to countries with single-payer healthcare systems is not the right path to pursue. There is a reason the U.S. develops more new treatments than the rest of the world combined: because we are the only country that does not artificially suppress the price of prescription drugs. Adopting the International Pricing Index would force patients to wait longer for new treatments and devastate the American innovation economy—threatening jobs and the development of new drugs.”
The Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation is a nonpartisan group committed to fostering a national conversation on medical innovation and patient access to care that is holistic and fact-based. The Alliance evaluates policy proposals and fact-checks claims affecting biomedical innovation, as well as responds to attacks on this innovation ecosystem. We are committed to preserving the pipeline of breakthrough medicines that reduce costs within the health care system and help people live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The Alliance receives funding from biopharmaceutical companies and other entities that represent the industry.