With the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ recent decision to limit access to Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment, and with drug pricing sure to be one of the central issues of the looming mid-term elections, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s support of the biopharma sector places her state at ground zero of the drug pricing debate.

Stepping directly into the fray, Danny Seiden, CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, recently published an article for Real Clear Policy titled Bye-bye Bayh. In it, Danny argues that the recent threats by members of the US Senate to exercise little-known and rarely used legal provisions called march-in rights contained in the Bayh-Dole legislation would, “crush American innovation, creating a new avenue for government to punish companies for bringing products – including lifesaving treatments – successfully to market.”  

Phoenix is one of the fastest growing biopharma regions in America, and this is in no small part due to Danny Seiden and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce working with their state and federal representatives to ensure that their economy balances the needs of business and the public. Danny makes a compelling case that the current discussions on drug pricing are rarely based on evidence, and to address rising healthcare costs there is a critical need for market driven solutions which also promote scientific innovation.

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