health
This Trump policy could slow cancer cures worldwide
When my mother died of colon cancer, I saw firsthand the devastation that comes when treatment options run out. For decades, I’ve worked to spare others that same fate — helping patients around the world get the right medicine at the right time.
TL;DR
- President Trump's "most favored nation" (MFN) policy proposes tying U.S. drug prices to those set by foreign governments.
- Foreign governments impose price controls, leading to lower prices but also delayed access and devalued medicines for their populations.
- MFN would import these foreign price controls into the U.S., potentially limiting patient access to new therapies and reducing R&D funding.
- Countries like Japan and European nations have systems that restrict patient access to newly launched medicines.
- Reduced R&D funding could lead to fewer new medicines developed, impacting patients in the U.S. and globally.
- The author proposes using Section 301 investigations as a better approach to pressure foreign governments to pay fairly for pharmaceutical innovation.