WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 14, 2024) – Today, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl released the following statement on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

The men and women in our industry wake up every day focused on improving public health and treating the most devastating diseases affecting patients. Biopharmaceutical innovation has made tremendous progress in the fight against disease – dramatically improving cancer survival rates, curing hepatitis C, and eliminating devastating diseases like polio and smallpox.

This industry is a crown jewel of the American economy, giving American patients more medicine choices than anywhere else in the world and supporting millions of high-paying, high-tech jobs around the country.

We want to work with the Trump administration to further strengthen our innovation ecosystem and improve health care for patients.

Our industry has long argued the U.S. must do more to address the growing epidemic of chronic disease, which is the biggest driver of health care spending. This will require a comprehensive strategy that includes focusing more on prevention and early intervention; promoting health and wellness; and developing new treatments and cures.

Medicines only work if patients can access them. That’s why policymakers also need to address the misaligned incentives in the system that let insurers, PBMs and large hospital systems pad their profits while forcing patients to pay more than they should for their medicines.

Finally, we must fix the flaws in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act that are undermining our world-leading innovation ecosystem and have already resulted in higher premiums, fewer plan choices and more frustrating insurance denials for Medicare patients.