Friday, 3 April 2009
David Brennan was elected board chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today at the group’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
In a speech to the meeting attendees, Brennan called on his industry colleagues and all segments of the health care system to work together in a new collaborative and bipartisan manner on meaningful health care reform that includes:
- Increased access to health and prescription drug coverage for the uninsured and the under-insured.
- Greater emphasis on disease prevention to reduce the burden of chronic diseases on individuals and the health care system as a whole.
- Reduced co-pays for prescription medicines to bring them more in line with what patients pay for other health services.
- Ensuring the Food and Drug Administration has the funding it needs to protect patients by effectively reviewing life-saving and enhancing medications.
David said a modernised health system should also protect intellectual property and promote innovation as scientists seek cures to the world’s deadliest and most debilitating illnesses.
Read the transcript of David's speech