"SchumerCare" would empower federal officials to, in effect, dictate drug prices. This would create potent new disincentives to drug research and development ("SchumerCare and Cancer Patients," Review & Outlook, Aug. 4). Millions of Americans need access to medications, but this legislation could prevent the next generation of breakthroughs from becoming available.
Consider the kidney-disease sector, which has among the lowest investment in pharmaceutical R&D. The FDA has lately rejected numerous new kidney-disease drugs. Although some promising ones have been approved in Europe, Japan and South Korea, the FDA's puzzling rejections have prevented medications from reaching patients, casting a pall over future investment. The Schumer-Manchin drug-price-control agreement will make the situation even worse.
Henry I. Miller, M.D.
Redwood City, Calif.
Dr. Miller was founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology.