The Miracles Of Medicines by Billy Tauzin (NAPSA)—Whatis the value of a life? Unfortunately, that question is often ignored in the heated debate over prescription drug prices. Many are tempted to ignore the significant advancements in health care, due in large part to the innovation of America’s pharmaceutical companies, in order to score political points. Medicines today—theresults of decades of work—allow patients to live longer, healthier lives. Who among us doesn’t have a loved one who—through the grace of God and the power of modern medicines—beat cancer, lowered their blood pressure or controlled their diabetes? I know first-hand what pa- tients fighting a life-threatening condition face. Just over a year ago, I underwent cancer surgery and began longseries of difficult chemotherapy andradiation treat- ments. At times, it didn’t look too good for me. Yet, miraculously, a new cancer drug saved mylife. Thank God for those researchers. Every day, a patient anxiously awaits a new miracle. It could be your daughter or your neighbor. This means we must be innovative. With every new breakthrough medicine—each onecosting nearly $1 billion and needing 14 years of research—we save lives and improve the quality of life for countless people. Our mission does not end with developing new medicines, as important as that job may be. A pill helps no one if a patient cannot afford it. That’s why we helped create the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (www.pparx.org or 1-888- 4APPA-NOW). PPAbrings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, nurses and others to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need either free or nearly free. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in fighting disease and optimistic about future cures on the horizon. America’s biopharmaceutical research companies remain committed to saving lives. That’s our job. It’s why we get up in the morning and go to work, despite being criticized in the public debate over prescription drug prices. What is the value of a life? Well, to us, it is priceless. Billy Tauzin is the president and CEO of PhRMA, the trade association representing the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
