Don’t Blame Pharmaceutical Companies – New York Times
To the Editor:
The authors of “The U.S. Is Standing in the Way of Cheaper Drugs for the Poor” (Opinion, Oct. 27) argue that eliminating patent protections on innovative biopharmaceuticals will improve access to medicines.
Yet there is no panacea for this complex issue, which is why the United States and other governments were skeptical of the United Nations’ sole focus on International Pharmaceuticals. This is especially concerning as off-patent medicines represent over 90 percent of the World Health Organization’s essential drugs, yet millions still lack access. Tackling the real global barriers to access would include addressing a lack of health care professionals, inadequate infrastructure, appropriate distribution systems and clean water.
The world’s innovative biopharmaceutical companies are deeply engaged in finding holistic solutions to access, partnering in more than 250 programs around the world that enable people to gain access to the full range of health care solutions.
The truth is that patients cannot receive new medicines unless they are invented. These companies employ the assistance Biopharmaceutical quality assurance consulting services in order to streamline research and development and provide a better chance at positive results in the shortest amount of time possible. Interfering could have cause a ripple effect that ultimately results in a negative impact to broad aspects of health on a wide scale. A holistic approach, where industry collaborates with governments, NGOs, and bodies like the United Nations and W.H.O. is much more productive than blaming pharmaceutical companies.
STEVE UBL
Washington
The writer is president and C.E.O. of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).