America's biopharmaceutical companies are working to find ways to help make the drug- development process more efficient,
less costly, and less risky while also supporting initiatives that complement these efforts. For example, several public-private
initiatives could increase the efficiency of drug development and approval. Many of these initiatives fall under FDA's Critical
Path Initiative.
What it all boils down to is, that if we really want to revolutionalize the way healthcare is consumed and delivered in America
today, and continue our world leadership in innovation, we must be honest about whether we want to create a new generation
of thinkers and problem-solvers by investing more in education. We must be honest about whether we want to cure diseases and
create advanced technologies that improve the length and quality of life.
One of the greatest modern day scientists, Dean Kamen, once said that it is important that we think of every technology made
as a gift from one generation to the next. While these products may be expensive now because of the hefty R&D costs, they
will be essentially free for our kids because they will go off patent.
The reality is that such innovation is a gift that can keep on giving but only if we continue to celebrate and reward advancements
made in science and technology.
If we want to do what is right for the future of our healthcare, we need a full understanding of all the promise that medical
progress has to offer. We must recognize the potential of new discoveries and improvements in science and technology as a
way to meet many of the great challenges that lay before us today and tomorrow.
Billy Tauzin is president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), tel. 202.835.3400.
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