U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, addressed the committee in a hearing focused on advancing medical innovation and maintaining U.S. competitiveness in delivering lifesaving treatments.
During his remarks, Cassidy drew from his experience as a physician to illustrate how medical advancements have transformed patient care. He recalled that procedures like partial stomach removal for peptic ulcer disease were once common until drugs such as Tagamet made them largely obsolete. He noted recent progress in treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, malignant melanoma, and Hepatitis C, as well as developments in 3D-printed spinal implants and improved diagnostic tests.
Cassidy highlighted the United States’ leadership role in global biotech innovation: "The United States leads the world in lifesaving medical discoveries, accounting for 40 percent of the world’s biotech-related patents for drugs. Backed by the FDA’s gold standard review, we produce twice as many novel chemical or biological products as European countries."
He also emphasized achievements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): "FDA has also approved over 30 cell and gene therapies, including the first gene therapy for sickle cell disease. This is American ingenuity meeting markets at its finest."
However, Cassidy cautioned against complacency. He raised concerns about regulatory barriers pushing research overseas: "But, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must work to maintain that edge. Regulatory uncertainty and outdated frameworks stifled progress and pushed developers overseas – recently to Communist China." He described conversations with biotechnology leaders who see China both as a partner and a competitor.
To address these challenges, Cassidy called for structural reforms to provide stability for innovators within the U.S., including changes to streamline FDA drug approvals while preserving rigorous standards. He advocated leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and mRNA platforms to accelerate drug development.
Cassidy also pointed out that bringing new technologies to market requires improvements beyond FDA approval: "We must also recognize the coming to market depends upon CMS streamlining the coding, coverage, and reimbursement process so that new technologies don’t die a slow, regulatory death post-FDA approval. This is not of this committee's jurisdiction, but it MUST be considered."
Finally, he stressed protecting American companies from unfair international competition: "We must ensure fair competition for American biomedical companies with nations that do not share our values and engage in anti-competitive practices like forced technology transfer and IP theft."
He concluded by connecting these goals with broader national objectives: "These reforms will advance President Trump’s goal of Making America Healthy Again while strengthening our dominance in the 21st century global economy. It is pro-patient, pro-family, pro-America."
The hearing continues efforts by Congress to support innovation while addressing regulatory hurdles facing U.S.-based biomedical industries.
