NEWS

Illinois is home to a robust biopharmaceutical industry that delivers life-saving cures to patients across the country. In the last 16 months, $2.75 billion in biopharmaceutical investment has flowed into Illinois – fueling continued leadership in research, development, and manufacturing. In Illinois: $575 million investment by AbbVie in North Chicago Over 263k local jobs supported by the industry $101.1 billion in economic output Faster delivery of more innovative cures to

Anyone who has followed the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry closely since the start of last year is likely aware of the historic investment that companies have made to strengthen the nation's drug innovation infrastructure, including through next-generation manufacturing facilities that can deliver therapies to Americans faster and more safely. We Work For Health has tracked more than $582 billion in announcements since January 2025. While it will take time for the full scope

Intellectual property is the backbone of the biopharma industry’s innovation ecosystem, driving the discovery and development of life‑saving treatments for patients. In recent years, We Work For Health has presented the Healthcare Innovation Leadership Award to policymakers who demonstrate a sustained commitment to protecting the intellectual property framework that fuels medical innovation. The latest honorees are Representatives Brad Knott (R-NC) and Scott Fitzgerald (R

On April 23, We Work For Health hosted a webinar to examine how a Most Favored Nation pricing policy could affect patient access, affordability, and medical innovation, and why the promised savings may not materialize. Drawing on real‑world examples from Europe and other OECD countries, panelists discussed the unintended but very real consequences of implementing and codifying an MFN policy, including reduced access to lifesaving medicines and limited or nonexistent price rel

Nearly 250 years ago, the United States made a consequential decision about how it would compete, grow and lead. At the nation’s founding was a belief that protecting new ideas would do more than reward individual ingenuity. It would fuel economic growth, encourage risk-taking, and help transform invention into lasting progress. That commitment helped define America’s innovation model and positioned the country for generations of leadership. The nation’s legacy of innov

Effective leadership recognizes that policy decisions do not exist in a vacuum – they shape jobs, economic growth and patient access to life-saving treatments. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger recently put workers, employers and Virginia’s future first, setting an example for how thoughtful policymaking can foster innovation and opportunity. Virginia’s biopharmaceutical sector is in the middle of historic growth. Since 2025, life sciences companies have committed $10B+ in new

A recent landmark U.S. health care law touted as the most significant prescription drug-price reform in decades appears to be already falling short of its promise. The harmful consequences are at risk of repeating as Washington considers expanding government price controls through most favored nation (MFN). The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, instituted a $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on Medicare Part D drug costs that took effect last year. The legislation w

The Administration has made lowering health care costs a top priority, a commendable goal. Yet the proposed most-favored nation (MFN) policy would almost certainly undermine the ability to keep that promise. By disincentivizing investment in the life sciences sector, MFN could cost the U.S. its edge in global biopharmaceutical leadership. Hear what the experts are saying:

A groundbreaking report quantifies what patients and their families have long understood: American medical innovation is making life better for all of us. This new analysis, conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, estimates medical breakthroughs delivered $167.5 trillion in societal value to the United States. How Innovation Delivers The researchers looked at innovations in four major disease areas – HIV, heart di

Across global health systems, policymakers face a familiar but increasingly urgent challenge: managing rising health care costs without undermining the innovation and intellectual property systems that make future therapies possible. Biopharmaceutical research is inherently long term . It requires substantial upfront investment and a stable intellectual property (IP) framework to ensure that successful products generate returns. When this balance is disrupted, the resulting

Last week, We Work For Health Executive Director Dan Leonard participated in a panel at the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey's (HINJ) 2026 Pulse: Saving Lives Globally, Driving Our Economy Locally – a seminar designed to inform industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders about the state of New Jersey's life sciences sector and its leading role in advancing global health. The event took place at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherril

America remains the global leader in biopharmaceutical research and development, but an alarming climb from China over the past decade warrants a strategic response from U.S. policymakers, according to new research and recommendations from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. The report compares private-sector R&D investments between U.S.- and China-headquartered firms across nine advanced industries, including pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, revealing a

America's biopharmaceutical leadership has never been more contested – or more consequential. As policymakers in Washington consider proposals like most favored nation (MFN), which would tie U.S. prices to European benchmarks, a critical question emerges: What actually happens when a country chooses cost containment over innovation? Europe has lived that story. The U.S. cannot afford to ignore how it ends. On March 5, We Work For Health convened experts, industry leaders

We Work For Health's Executive Director Dan Leonard recently sat down with Dr. Robert Popovian, Chief Science Policy Officer at the Global Healthy Living Foundation and founder of Conquest Advisors, to discuss what's actually happening at the pharmacy counter now that the first Medicare-negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act have taken effect. Nearly two months into implementation, the picture emerging is far more complicated than the government's promises

For generations, the story of European pharmaceutical competitiveness has been one of stark decline, providing a harsh lesson in what happens when price controls crowd out innovation. Europe's declining drug approval trajectory is a warning for U.S. policymakers tempted by most-favored nation drug pricing. The decline has not gone unnoticed in Brussels. Motivated by years of self-inflicted setbacks, European leaders have begun to mount a serious campaign to reclaim the cont

During Rare Disease Week, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing focused on the urgent need to strengthen the United States biomedical innovation ecosystem to benefit patients. Lawmakers, advocates and industry leaders underscored a shared reality: for individuals living with rare and ultra-rare diseases, innovation represents both hope and the possibility of future access to treatment. This moment calls attention to the scale of unmet medical need and to t

We Work For Health recently submitted formal comment letters urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reject and withdraw both the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) model for Medicare Part B and the Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (GUARD) model for Medicare Part D. If implemented, these models will significantly harm American life sciences innovation, the millions of workers whose livelihoods depend on it and the patients thes

According to the FDA's annual report released last month, the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved 46 novel prescription drugs in 2025 – slightly fewer than in recent years. While America's prescription drug approval process remains the global gold standard, maintaining this leadership position requires urgent attention from policymakers as competitive pressures from abroad intensify. The United States cannot afford complacency. China is pourin

Breakthroughs in medicine rarely happen in a single moment. More often, they are the result of years, sometimes decades, of research, experimentation and sustained investment. In biopharma, this long-term perspective is essential. Treatments that once seemed unimaginable are now reaching patients who never expected to benefit from them in their lifetimes. These advances were made possible because early ideas were given the time, protection and resources needed to develop.

After several years of steady growth, Europe’s drug regulators are once again increasing the pace of recommended medicines for approval. Last year, European authorities recommended 38 new active substances, delivering a second straight year of elevated output. Even so, Europe continues to lag well behind the U.S., which approved 53 novel medicines, roughly 30% more, according to Endpoints News . As U.S. policymakers weigh whether to adopt foreign-style pricing frameworks