To: POLITICAL EDITORS
Contact: Greg Lopes of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturersof America, +1-202-835-3460
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PharmaceuticalResearch and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEOBilly Tauzin today released the following statement regardingPresident Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last night:
"PhRMA applauds President Obama for making clear thatcomprehensive healthcare reform is a top priority for hisadministration. We must not miss this extraordinary opportunity inour history to build on the strengths of our healthcare system andaddress its weaknesses.
"A comprehensive approach to reforming our healthcare system willnot only provide coverage to millions of Americans who still lackhigh-quality, affordable health insurance, but also will helpstrengthen our struggling economy. Healthcare reform is not aluxury; it is essential to economic recovery and imperative tomaking Americans healthier and more productive.
"PhRMA firmly supports President Obama's commitment to seek a'cure for cancer in our time.' We share this goal and to that end,America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies areworking on a record 750 medicines to fight this deadly disease thattouches so many Americans. In order to accomplish the President'slofty goal, the development of innovative new medicines iscritically important.
"The President's call for a new focus on disease prevention willtransform our current sick-care system into a 21st centuryhealthcare system. It is time for our healthcare system to do abetter job of stopping disease before it starts. Too many times weget to patients after they've been diagnosed or worse, we interveneafter the disease has already done most of its damage. This is whyit is so important that we focus reform efforts on diseaseprevention and management, both of which can improve the quality ofcare in the U.S. and also help lower healthcare costs.
"Today, millions of Americans lack insurance coverage or haveexcessive co-pays that cause them to pass on needed medicaltreatments. This not only has a detrimental effect on patienthealth, it impacts job stability and economic growth. For example,the impact of lost workdays and lower employee productivity due tochronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease resultedin an estimated economic loss of $1 trillion in 2003.
"America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companieshave partnered with a diverse group of stakeholders representingboth business and organized labor to help push healthcare reformefforts. Though of diverse backgrounds, we agree that our healthcaresystem must be improved for the greater good of our country. Toomany businesses are crippled because of out-of-control healthcarecosts.
"Last year, PhRMA unveiled its own healthcare reform platform toaddress all of these critical issues. Our plan stresses the need tobuild on the existing employer-based system and expanding coveragethrough a public-private approach - with a focus on private healthinsurance expansions and leveraging such public health insuranceprograms as the recently reauthorized State Children's HealthInsurance Program (SCHIP).
"PhRMA is committed to working with President Obama and lawmakerson both sides of the aisle and will continue to support policiesthat encourage and strengthen innovation, improve patient access tomedicines and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans."
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research andbiotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicinesthat allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productivelives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for newcures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $44.5 billion in2007 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wideresearch and investment reached a record $58.8 billion in 2007.
PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org
For information on stories of hope and survival, visit: http://sharingmiracles.com/
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit:http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance,visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on the dangers of imported drugs, visit: http://www.buysafedrugs.info
SOURCE Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
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