NEWS

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

America's biopharmaceutical sector is delivering unprecedented economic impact across the nation. Since January 2025, companies have committed more than $582 billion  to bolster U.S. research and development, expand manufacturing and create jobs in communities nationwide. From cutting-edge manufacturing facilities in the South to next-generation research hubs in the Mid-Atlantic, the life sciences industry is driving local economic growth, creating high-skill jobs and ensurin

We Work For Health Executive Director Dan Leonard recently sat down with Dr. Rachel Brem, Director of the Breast Imaging and Interventional Center at George Washington University and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Brem Foundation. Dr. Brem has pioneered multiple breakthrough technologies for early breast cancer detection and brings a unique perspective – both professional and deeply personal – on what it takes to translate medical innovation into life-saving care

According to a recent report from the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for cancer in the United States has significantly improved. In the mid-1970s, only half  of cancer patients would survive five years or more, now seven in 10 survive. Thanks to technological innovation leading to life-saving cures, cancer survival is increasingly achievable. For cancer patients, these medical innovations add years to their lives. The recent study shows remarkable progr

Evidence continues to show that government price control policies like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) slow drug innovation, particularly for small molecule medications, which are typically found in pill and tablet form.   Late last year, the University of Chicago’s Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics published research revealing unintended consequences of the IRA on oncology drug development. The University of Chicago’s researchers examined 184 cancer drugs approve

This week, two major research reports were released that offer fresh industry insight into China’s rapid biopharma growth and the potential impact on U.S. global competitiveness.   McKinsey & Company  highlighted China’s undisputed foothold as Asia’s innovation leader. As countries like South Korea and India have stood out, combining ambition with strategic investment to build their capabilities, China is responsible for nearly a third of the global pipeline. TD Cowen collec

In April, a bipartisan committee warned Congress that America’s global biosector leadership was potentially on borrowed time, advising that if not for urgent regulatory corrections, China will overtake the U.S. within three years. That same committee has issued an update. The clock is ticking even faster than feared. “Since the publication of that assessment , the trajectory the Commission identified has continued – and in several respects intensified,” said the National Secu

A historic 2025 is coming to a close for America’s biopharmaceutical sector. From coast to coast, dozens of companies announced or broke ground on next-generation research facilities, expanded their stateside manufacturing capacity, and laid the foundation for accelerating medical breakthroughs. According to We Work For Health’s U.S. Biopharma Investment Watch , the industry committed more than $492 billion  in new domestic investment this year. The unprecedented capital depl

Over the past decade, China has executed a sustained, long-range strategy to build a globally competitive biopharmaceutical sector. Through coordinated investment and policy, the country has moved from “me-too” products to cutting-edge therapies, while elevating regulatory and manufacturing standards to global norms. And it’s working.   On Dec. 11, We Work For Health convened a full room of stakeholders for a critical discussion on China’s accelerating biopharmaceutical ambit

We Work for Health's Executive Director Dan Leonard recently sat down with Dr. Gary Puckrein, President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), to discuss his organization's work to ensure fair access to life-saving research and emerging treatments as well as what needs to be done to preserve America's innovation leadership.   The discussion highlighted the public health and economic imperatives of maintaining U.S. competitiveness in biopharmaceutical research