'March In' is Not the Answer | Opinion Howard Dean , former governor, Vermont On 1/28/21 at 7:00 AM EST All Democrats and many Republicans are committed to making prescription drugs more affordable. There are many good ways to lower patients' out-of-pocket spending, including getting rid of middlemen in the drug supply chain, eliminating incentives for doctors to prescribe more expensive medicines and negotiating for bulk discounts on commonly used medicines. There is one strategy, however, that is likely to make things worse; overriding patents on drugs developed with the help of federally funded research. This so-called "march in" option is not a good idea.