Statement from No Patient Left Behind on Upcoming Senate HELP Hearing on Drug Pricing
WASHINGTON, DC - April 16, 2026 - As the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions holds a hearing on how competition can lower prescription drug prices, No Patient Left Behind’s executive director, Priscilla VanderVeer, shared the following statement:
“America’s patent lifecycle is one of the most effective cost-containment mechanisms in healthcare. The United States saves trillions in healthcare costs and productivity gains each decade from both breakthrough medicines and our ever-expanding supply of generic and biosimilar medicines.
“This model paves the way for the next generation of life-saving treatments, many of which reach patients with no other options, while also ensuring that costs decline over time. Once patents expire, competition from generics and biosimilars drives prices down dramatically, providing society with trillions of dollars in savings and at the same time incentivizing new treatments and cures.
“But manufacturing or regulatory complexity can sometimes get in the way of a medicine going generic when it’s supposed to. And manufacturers that block generic entry through patent-gaming deny society the value that the patent lifecycle can deliver.
“Policymakers should be focused on ensuring that all medicines go generic when they’re supposed to without undue delay. But they shouldn’t set artificial prices for medicines or force generic entry before patents end, which would break the delicate system innovation ecosystem we’ve created and slow the development of new cures and weaken the very competition that lowers prices.”
About No Patient Left Behind
No Patient Left Behind (NPLB) is a coalition of biotechnology innovators, investors, healthcare professionals, economists, and patient advocates working to ensure that patients have access to the medicines they need today and in the future. Through rigorous, independent research and data analysis, NPLB promotes biotech affordability and innovation, advancing common-sense solutions that enable every patient to afford the drugs prescribed by their doctor at low or no out-of-pocket cost – while also preserving the incentives for investment that spur the development of new, life-saving treatments. In tandem with its research efforts, NPLB educates leaders and stakeholders across the biotech ecosystem about thoughtful and balanced policy solutions. Learn more about NPLB’s latest initiatives at www.nopatientleftbehind.org.