As we look at the many factors that complicate healthcare in the United States, it can be tempting to direct a disproportionate amount of criticism toward pharmaceutical companies. But that opinion ignores the significant role these companies play in saving lives, advancing science, and enabling people to live longer and better. The truth is: thanks to the pharmaceutical industry, especially the scientists behind it, millions of people have hope, relief, and cures that didn’t exist a generation ago.
Let’s give credit where it’s due.
The modern pharmaceutical industry began over a hundred years ago. In the early 1900s, scientists began transforming chemistry into medicine, discovering insulin for diabetes, penicillin for infections, and vaccines for deadly diseases. These weren’t just lucky guesses. They were the result of meticulous laboratory work, rigorous clinical testing, and extensive research.
Since then, we’ve seen the discovery of treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, and more. These breakthroughs didn’t happen overnight. It often takes 10 to 15 years and nearly $2.6 billion to bring just one new drug to market. In fact, for every 10,000 drug candidates studied in labs, only about one makes it to pharmacy shelves.
Why? Because developing medicine is hard. It involves early research, multiple stages of clinical trials, FDA reviews, and years of monitoring, even after a drug is approved. This process protects patients, and it ensures that every treatment on the market is safe and effective.
Today, new medicines are helping people fight diseases that once had no hope, such as rare genetic disorders, blood cancers, and chronic conditions. There are over 7,000 drugs currently being tested in clinical trials, and each one represents a possible breakthrough for patients in need.
You don’t have to look far to see this impact. Right here in New Hampshire, the biopharma industry plays a growing role in our economy and healthcare system. More than 100 companies in the state are connected to pharmaceutical and biotech research, including Lonza in Portsmouth, which manufactures cutting-edge biologic medicines.
These companies don’t just bring treatments to patients; they bring high-quality jobs to communities, support local schools, and train the next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals. Places like Dartmouth and the University of New Hampshire are key partners in this work, conducting clinical trials and research that directly benefit patients in the Granite State. As global competitors like China invest heavily to overtake the U.S. in biopharma innovation, maintaining our leadership isn’t just about jobs or science; it’s about ensuring that future breakthroughs are developed with American values of safety, transparency, and access.
Of course, medicine alone won’t solve every health problem. Preventive care, healthy lifestyles, clean environments, and strong communities are also important. But that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on the pharmaceutical industry. Medicine and prevention work best when they work together.
Critics often focus on drug prices, and yes, we do need fair pricing and access. But pricing is a policy issue, not a reason to attack people discovering and developing these life-saving treatments. Let’s fix what needs fixing without tearing down the system that delivers so much good.
Behind every pill or injection is a team of researchers, doctors, trial participants, factory workers, and regulators, all working toward one goal: helping people feel better and live longer. That work deserves respect.
So, the next time someone says “Big Pharma” like it’s a bad thing, remember this: millions of people are alive today because of these companies and the science they support. Instead of blaming them for what’s wrong in our system, let’s thank them for what’s right.
Let’s thank the biopharma scientists. Because thanks to them, patients in New Hampshire and across the country have more hope than ever.
