In response to the dramatic rise in prescription drug spending in recent years and the need to advance discussions around coordinated solutions, National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau will host a forum called Affordable Medicines: Access, Innovation, and the Public Interest. The forum will feature a special address by Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a discussion with the nation’s top health and government leaders, including:
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Norman Augustine, former chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
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Gail Boudreaux, president and CEO, Anthem Inc.
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Bill Cassidy, U.S. senator (R-La.)
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Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO, Merck & Co. Inc.
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John O’Brien, deputy assistant secretary for planning and evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
A recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends a number of actions — in areas such as government negotiation of drug prices, prevention of ‘pay-for-delay’ agreements, and increased financial transparency — to improve the affordability of prescription drugs without discouraging the development of new and more effective drugs for the future.
The forum concludes a daylong scientific symposium during the National Academy of Medicine’s annual meeting, Cancers: Can We Beat the Odds?, which features a keynote address by Laurie Glimcher, president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and expert panels on cancer biology, prevention, treatment, and policy.
DETAILS:
The affordable drugs forum will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. EDT.
All sessions, including the scientific symposium on cancers, will take place Monday, Oct. 15, at:
National Academy of Sciences building
2101 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Reporters who wish to attend should register in advance with the Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.
Those who cannot attend in person can watch a live webcast here. For more information and the full agenda for the annual meeting, visit here.