Drug advisory boards would threaten hope

When I turned 18, my parents finally told me that when I had been diagnosed at 3 months old, there was a 50/50 chance I’d live until I was 18. Of course, I’m talking about my Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis.

I credit my parents for not telling me sooner about that scary statistic a doctor told them 20-plus years ago. They encouraged me to take my disease seriously but not let me be afraid of it. I’m now 27, and there’s still not a cure for CF. There have been advances, and many people living with CF are living longer lives due to new advancements in treating the disease. My CF is different, and the treatments that work for many do not work for me.

I worry that well-intentioned but misguided legislation that’s being proposed in Springfield could put roadblocks in place to this type of medical innovation people like me need. Senate Bill 66/House Bill 1443 would create a Prescription Drug Advisory Board in Illinois. If passed into law, this bill would charge these board members with determining which medications and treatments patients in our state would have access to — instead of treatment decisions being made by a patient’s doctor.

If people can’t access the latest medications — why would investors and scientists work hard to bring new treatments to market? Innovation delays equal opportunities lost.

Most importantly, we will lose hope — hope for a future free of diseases that millions of Americans like me live with on a daily basis. While I fully understand the need to rein in health care costs, doing so by arbitrarily barring treatments is the wrong approach.

I ask our lawmakers to reject SB66/HB1443l and turn their energies towards solutions that help us all move forward, not stall medical innovation.

Will Corcoran

Chicago