Policy Options to Lower Drug Prices
August 17, 2026
In response to the Senate Finance Committee’s Request for Information on new policies to lower drug prices, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines submitted comments focused on how Congress must:
Increase funding for basic and translational research and pair that investment with access planning requirements; and
Increase clinical trial participation in the US and make the clinical trial process more efficient and affordable while preserving rigorous review processes and patient protections.
In these comments, UAEM outlines how the investments made by the United States government in biomedical research and the conditions attached to those investments have a significant impact on the development of innovation to address the world’s most pressing health needs and whether those innovations actually reach those who need them. Additionally, UAEM discusses the accessibility, affordability, and transparency issues within clinical trials and the reforms needed to ensure all patients, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status, are able to participate in clinical research.
UAEM also joined 22 organizations in a separate comment urging Congress to advance three policies:
Negotiate the prices on all brand name prescription drugs;
Limit negotiated prices based on what drug companies charge in other high-income countries; and
Extend the benefits of negotiations, price spike protections and out-of-pocket caps to the private market.