LTE: We Need Drug Choices, published by The New York Times

TO THE EDITOR:

Re “Drug Industry Fights to Block Talks on Prices” (front page of The New York Times, July 23):

The White House’s price negotiations will likely incentivize companies to make fewer “me too” drugs, medications that have slight variations from an existing prototype. That’s a terrible outcome.

Even more disturbing are the public health experts’ devaluation of “me too” drugs by deeming them as not “clinically meaningful.” As if our sickest patients suffer from too many choices, when the exact opposite is true.

A survivor of multiple sclerosis, I can attribute my meaningful life to a “me too” drug. As can countless others who require options B, C and D for any of the thousands of diseases without a known cure. When your child is heroically fighting a losing battle against leukemia with the one drug available, you’ll wish, pray, demand another option, or two, or even three.

Politicians think the way to solve the problem of health care costs is to choke off the development of cures. In reality, what we need are more arrows in their quivers, not additional nails for their coffins.

John Czwartacki

Washington

The writer is the founder of Survivors for Solutions, a patient advocacy organization