Protecting the Future of Medical Innovation for Patient Needs

By Carine Boustany, Ph.D., SVP, US Development Site Head and Global Head of Development Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim

According to the CDC, six in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, and four out of 10 Americans live with four or more. This is significant because chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in our country. And in some cases, patients’ hope after diagnosis resides with our Research & Development efforts - the essential backbone to discovering and developing medications that will enable a healthier tomorrow for our patients.

At Boehringer Ingelheim, we innovate ground-breaking medicines to address unmet medical needs with the purpose of helping patients’ overall lives and wellbeing today, tomorrow and for generations to come. And when faced with legislative proposals that threaten the future of medical innovation, we’re compelled to add our voices to the discussion to protect the ability of the scientific community to invest in necessary R&D and medical advancements. A prime example is the extraordinary scientific acceleration of producing COVID-19 vaccines to save lives.

Each year, our family-owned company reinvests up to 20% of net sales to R&D in pursuit of needed and potentially life-saving medicines. Our work in the lab is possible in the U.S. because of public policies that support innovation. It is our dedication to innovation that helps millions of people breathe better, feel better, and live better. I’m proud that several of our medicines hold market-leading positions in important therapeutic areas such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes and auto-immune diseases that help improve people’s lives daily.

But a real threat is looming in Washington, and our innovation and all the innovation happening across the life science industry is in danger. The proposed legislation H.R. 3 risks government control of the availability of medicines, which would impede investment potential for the development of new medicines, treatments and potential cures for pervasive illnesses. This proposal could result in restrictions like those seen in foreign countries where governments determine which medicines are, and are not, available to their citizens – and it threatens a research-driven organization’s ability to focus its resources where they are needed most. Today, we are so fortunate that in the U.S., nearly 90% of new medicines launched since 2011 are available to patients compared to just 44% on average in other countries, according to a RAND research study released earlier this year. Furthermore, the study indicates that Americans get access to new medicines years earlier on average.

As a wife and mother of three, I fear for a future world where new medicines may not be discoverable or available to treat my children and my family should they need them. I think about how our patients and their families would no longer have access to the medicines they need to live without pain or shortness of breath, and the anxiety that comes with so much uncertainty and limited access. In the U.S. we are so fortunate to have access to cutting-edge medicines, but this poorly designed legislation could change all that.

While there is work ahead for all of us to streamline the health care system and lower costs for patients at the pharmacy, these alarming, experimental and extreme policies risk jeopardizing our scientific potential. I proudly stand with Boehringer Ingelheim, and we are at the ready to be a resource and collaborate on meaningful solutions that will support both patients and innovation. Now, more than ever, we need to work together to advance resolutions that lower out-of-pocket costs for patients at the pharmacy counter without sacrificing future treatments and cures for the patients and families we serve.