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Opinion: For cancer patients, Trump’s drug pricing proposal falls short

President Trump's plans to rein in the cost of drugs needs to go further to help people with cancer.

President Trump’s long-awaited plan to reduce the costs of prescription drugs calls for a comprehensive set of reforms, including redesigning the patent system to prevent drug monopolies, uncloaking the role of pharmacy benefit managers, and charging foreign governments more for brand name drugs. He also proposed bringing more negotiation tactics into Medicare Part D and Part B, which cover most cancer therapies.

In the abstract, these approaches seem to make sense. But as oncologists, we see how they play out in the clinic and how needs to go further to help people with cancer.

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