Chairman Collins Issues Statement at Hearing on Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapies
"Good morning. Prescription drugs are vital to the health and well-being of Americans, especially our nation's seniors, 90 percent of whom take at least one prescription drug in any given month. For many Americans, access to affordable prescription drugs is not only critical for health, but also can be literally a matter of life or death.
"Developing these medicines is a lengthy, expensive, and uncertain process. It often takes more than a decade to bring a new drug from the laboratory to the market; the process is often very costly, and most drugs fail during testing.
"If we want new medicines to reach consumers who need them, the companies that invest in the research and take the risks necessary to develop these drugs must see a fair return on their investment.
"At the same time, we cannot be blind to the costs of these drugs, nor to cases where patent laws are manipulated to preserve monopolies. Americans are expected to spend more than
"While we understand that research and development are expensive, consumers are also familiar with reports of prescription drugs that have undergone significant and unwarranted price increases. Last
"At the end of our investigation, we published a report documenting cases in which companies that had not invested a single dollar in the research and development of a drug, nevertheless bought it, hiked its price to unconscionable levels.
"Today, the Committee will examine why prices have soared for drugs used to treat a disease affecting 1.3 million Americans - rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory condition that attacks the lining of joints. Untreated, RA can lead to permanent joint damage and is associated with significant morbidity. While it can begin at any age, the likelihood of onset increases with age and is highest among women in their sixties.
"Biologic medicines have proven life-changing for many patients, halting the progression of symptoms and allowing them to remain actively engaged at work, at home, and in life. Derived from living organisms, biologics are much more complex than their chemical counterparts. They may require special handling and are often administered by injection or infusion. Sometimes referred to as "specialty drugs," these medicines can have astonishingly high price tags that are continuing to increase every year.
"For example, the price of Humira, a self-administered biologic approved at the end of 2002 to treat RA, has risen from about
"The
"Similarly, Enbrel's main patent has expired, yet the drug remains protected by at least two other so-called "submarine" patents nearly 20 years after it was first approved by the
"Treating rheumatoid arthritis costs the
"One of these patients is my constituent,
"In 1998, when Enbrel came to market, she was one of the first in
"We look forward to hearing from all of our witnesses today and to better understanding what can be done to moderate the price of prescription drugs without discouraging the innovation that helps us live healthier lives."
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