Week in Review: The Latest from PhRMA

Developing New Medicines:  Innovative medicines offer hope to patients and bring value to the health care system, but developing these new treatments is a rigorous, lengthy and costly process, and more obstacles may be on the horizon.

• Take a look at our new video and infographic to learn more about why developing a new drug is harder than rocket science.
• There’s a lot that can be missed when you take a very limited look at the FDA’s drug approval process. Read more about the parts that weren’t addressed in a recent Forbes’ story. 
• Learn more about the surprising supporters of state proposals to enact price controls and why those efforts could further inhibit progress towards innovative treatments and cures.

Free Trade Agreements May Be Good For Your Health:  A new report by the Geneva Network titled “Trading for Health: Quantifying the Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Health Outcomes” demonstrates that trade openness and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) yield overall positive health outcomes and socio-economic benefits. Learn more here.

Q&A with The Peter Lamy Center for Drug Therapy and Aging: In the latest Ask About Adherence post, Bruce Stuart, executive director of the Peter Lamy Center for Drug Therapy and Aging, explores whether good medication adherence saves payers money. Take a look here.

Access to Diabetes Medicines in Health Exchange Plans: Larry Hausner, former CEO of the American Diabetes Association and chief patient advocate for the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, tells us about potential barriers to access needed diabetes medicines in the latest post from the Burden on Patients Q&A Series.

A New Way to Picture Progress Against Cancer:  In this guest blog, Jacqueline Ferguson, senior director of Global Oncology Corporate Affairs of Eli Lilly and Company, discusses how value in cancer treatment evolves and advocates for policies that foster the development of innovative medicines.

Medicare Monday: Check out this week’s post, which highlights a growing body of research that finds reduced mortality among older Americans since Part D implementation.