PhRMA Defends US Innovation

PhRMA Senior Vice-President Matthew Bennett released a statement today on the state of the biopharmaceutical industry, in response to an analysis in the British Medical Journal. Bennett states that while the US may be lagging behind in spurring innovation programs, he believes the passage of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) will improve the situation.

Bennett insists that the US pharmaceutical market has been making advancements in new and novel therapies. According to Bennett, “Last year alone, the Food and Drug Administration approved 35 new molecular entities–the highest amount of approvals over the last decade–including 11 new medicines for patients with rare diseases and Hepatitis C who previously had few or no treatment options.  And earlier this year, the first treatment of its kind was approved for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, a debilitating disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the US.”

The industry pipeline is healthy with potential novel treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer, according to Bennett, with PhRMA member companies investing “$49.5 billion in 2011 researching and discovering new medicines.”

Bennett believes the US is on the right track. “The recent passage of the bipartisan Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which will help bring safe, effective, and innovative medicines to patients in a timely manner, is a step in the right direction”, states Bennett.

Is the US pharmaceutical industry doing enough in biopharmaceutical innovation? Will PDUFA provide the framework for pro-innovation policy?