I want to thank you all for coming to what we expect will be a very lively and informative meeting on a timely and significant subject. My role, and that of my office, is to serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on policy development. We are responsible for major activities in the areas of policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research and evaluation, and economic analysis. This conference is part of our ongoing effort to inform the Department and the wider policy community about critical issues in health care policy and program evaluation.
Prescription drugs play an ever-increasing role in modern medicine.
New medications are improving health outcomes and quality of life, replacing surgery and other invasive treatments, and providing new hope for patients with conditions that previously had no treatment. Drugs can reduce the need for bypass surgery, help prevent brain damage in stroke victims, or provide relief for chronic pain. Continued progress in biotechnology and genetic research promises still more innovative therapies in the coming years. Even as pharmaceutical advances have reshaped the practice of medicine, innovations in health care delivery systems and insurance arrangements have transformed the complex set of transactions by which drugs move from manufacturers to the patients that need them. In particular, developments including the growth of managed care and the development of the pharmaceutical benefit management industry have changed the way prescription drugs are prescribed, distributed and purchased.