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OPINION – California patients living with rare diseases and chronic conditions are enrolled into new clinical trials every day – not as a last resort, but as a pathway to better treatment and hope. Yet a bill moving through Sacramento could quietly put that progress at risk.
Assembly Bill (AB) 1776 would expand our state’s antitrust authority, increasing scrutiny over business practices and collaborations deemed “anticompetitive.” While well-intentioned, the bill overlooks a critical reality: medical innovation depends on collaboration. Researchers, manufacturers, and health systems must work together to develop and deliver new treatments – and clinical trials are where that collaboration comes to life for patients.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1994. Back then, managing the disease looked very different. It meant finger pricks throughout the day, strict routines, constant vigilance, and the ever-present fear of complications. Smart devices did not exist to monitor my glucose levels in real-time, and far fewer tools to help patients stay in control.
But today, I am part of a clinical trial using advanced glucose monitoring and insulin pump technology that communicate with each other and adjust in real time. It’s a meaningful step forward for patients – one that simply wouldn’t exist without the clinical research system that supports innovation.
Diabetes is one of the most pressing health challenges in our state. More than 3.5 million adults live with diabetes, and hundreds of thousands more are diagnosed each year. And, nearly one in four Californians over 65 live with the disease. For many of us, access to new treatments isn’t theoretical – it’s essential.
California is a global leader in clinical trials. The University of California system alone manages more than 4,600 clinical trials across a wide range of diseases, and as of 2025, more than 5,600 trials are actively recruiting participants statewide. These trials are where the next generation of treatments, technologies, and cures are developed.
Policies like AB 1776 risk disrupting this ecosystem. Increased regulatory uncertainty around collaboration could slow partnerships, delay research, and ultimately reduce the number of clinical trials available to patients. That means fewer opportunities to access cutting-edge treatments and longer waits for the innovations patients depend on.
There is also a broader impact that cannot be ignored. When research becomes more cumbersome and investment faces greater uncertainly, funding slows. The return on investment that fuels innovation diminishes, and with it, the incentive to continue developing new treatments. That affects not only patients, but also the scientists, researchers, and workers whose jobs depend on a thriving biomedical sector. Clinical research doesn’t just save lives, it drives economic growth, supports jobs, and delivers long-term value to the state.
For someone who has lived with diabetes for more than three decades, I can tell you that progress matters. The difference between then and now is not incremental. The technology I am using today didn’t exist when I was diagnosed. And the advancements still to come depend on protecting the pathway that made this progress possible.
Lawmakers must understand that policies do not exist in a vacuum. When you disrupt clinical research, you disrupt patient care. When you slow innovation, you prolong suffering.
I urge lawmakers to reject AB 1776 and protect the clinical trials and innovations that millions of patients depend on every day. Because for those of us living with chronic disease, progress isn’t optional. It’s everything.
Bill Remak is the executive director of the California Hepatitis C Task Force. He lives in Petaluma, California.
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