MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell’s statement in response to President Trump’s announcement on most-favored-nation pricing:
Massachusetts has long been the global epicenter of biotechnology, pioneering breakthroughs that transform lives and expand access and affordability for patients. Our ecosystem has consistently demonstrated that innovation and access are not mutually exclusive, and that life-changing therapies can reach those who need them most when science and policy move forward together.
Today’s announcement underscores the urgency of keeping that balance front and center. As policymakers consider new approaches to lower drug costs for Americans, it is essential that these efforts do not unintentionally undermine the very innovation that delivers tomorrow’s cures. The path from discovery to treatment is long, complex, and high-risk. Massachusetts’s biotech companies are leading that charge, tackling diseases once thought untreatable and bringing cutting-edge therapies from the lab bench to the bedside.
We urge federal leaders to work hand-in-hand with the biotech community to craft policies that improve affordability and access without jeopardizing the scientific progress and investment that make those therapies possible in the first place. Our shared goal should be a future in which patients benefit not only from lower costs today but also from the next generation of transformative medicines that Massachusetts innovators are working tirelessly to deliver.