American innovation and ingenuity are an essential driver of key medical advancements. They improve countless lives through a myriad of cures and treatments. But with increasingly expensive prescription drug prices and treatments, thanks in no small part to the exploitive behavior of groups like Big Pharma to extend and protect their decades-long monopolies on prescription drugs, patients need new and affordable solutions.
Unfortunately, there is a misguided effort in the U.S. Senate to drastically damage the potential for new innovative healthcare solutions that would ultimately lead to even higher prescription drug prices and reduced patient access to life-saving treatments and diagnostics. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) have released a draft bill, clearly written in close consultation with Big Pharma, which would quietly, but dramatically, loosen the rules found in Section 101 of the Patent Act. While the Senators have tried to portray this legislation as rewarding and fostering innovation and research, nothing could be further from the truth.
