Preserve What Works: Protecting Seniors Through a Balanced Drug Pricing System

By Saul Anuzis

America’s seniors have a lot riding on a health care system that works. With fixed incomes, chronic conditions, and the ever-present cost of prescriptions, older Americans need access to both cutting-edge treatments and affordable generics. That delicate balance — breakthrough innovation on one hand, low-cost follow-ons on the other — is sustained by one of the few parts of our health care framework that actually works: our patent system.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers, under the guise of “cost control,” are threatening to upset this critical equilibrium. By targeting the very patent protections that incentivize medical breakthroughs, they risk dismantling a system that’s quietly delivering for seniors across the country.

Here’s the reality: The U.S. leads the world in pharmaceutical innovation not by accident, but because of a framework that rewards discovery. Patents grant temporary exclusivity to developers who invest enormous capital into new drugs — often more than $2.6 billion and over a decade of research and trials. These protections give companies a window to recoup costs and reinvest in future cures. For seniors, that’s meant access to revolutionary treatments for heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more.

At the same time, this system ensures that once those patents expire, generic manufacturers can bring low-cost versions to market, often at a 90 percent discount or more. That’s the power of balance. The promise of innovation followed by affordability. Nearly 90 percent of all prescriptions filled today are generics, and it’s seniors who benefit most.

But Congress is now flirting with proposals that would weaken patent protections in the name of reducing drug prices — policies that may sound good in a headline but would backfire in the long run. Efforts to limit patents on “follow-on” improvements or tighten definitions of innovation could stifle the very kind of progress that gave us extended-release insulin, improved chemotherapy regimens, and inhalers that are easier to use. These aren’t copycats; they’re upgrades that improve quality of life — especially for older patients.

‘No More Big Pharma’: FDA Commissioner Announces Major Policy Changes

Let’s be honest: No one wants to pay more than they have to for medications. But the answer isn’t to blow up the one part of the health care system that’s functioning well. Price-setting schemes or “march-in rights” to seize patents undercut the core incentive structure that keeps our drug pipeline alive. If companies no longer see a viable return on investment, they’ll simply stop investing — and seniors will be the ones left without options.

Instead, Congress should focus on real reforms that enhance transparency and competition without undermining innovation. That includes speeding up FDA approvals for generics, cracking down on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) middlemen who inflate prices, and strengthening Medicare’s ability to negotiate smarter — not just cheaper.

We’re already seeing the benefits of our current model. Since 2000, the cancer death rate among seniors has dropped by 27 percent. Hepatitis C, once a life sentence for many, is now curable. Breakthroughs in gene therapy are helping older Americans with rare conditions live longer and better. These are not accidents — they’re the product of a system that works when left intact.

The challenge for lawmakers is not to fix what isn’t broken. Instead, they should defend the mechanisms that have allowed America’s seniors to thrive in longer and healthier lives thanks to medical innovation. Patents and generics are not opposing forces — they are two sides of the same coin. And right now, they’re delivering for seniors.

Don’t gamble with our future by gutting the one system that’s actually working. Preserve it. Strengthen it. And let it keep delivering hope — for today’s seniors and tomorrow’s.

Saulius "Saul" Anuzis is the president of the 60 Plus Association and a Republican Party politician from the U.S. State of Michigan. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011, as well as a Member of the RNC from 2005-2012.

Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.

Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.