NEWS

When Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare Part D provisions in 2022, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the changes would reduce federal deficits by $129 billion through 2031. But just four years later, CBO’s own numbers now tell a very different story. CBO now projects that the provisions once expected to generate savings for Medicare will increase the deficit by far more than originally projected. Drug price negotiation was originally expected

American manufacturing has a growth story that doesn't get told often enough. A new report found that the biopharmaceutical industry grew nearly six times faster than the broader manufacturing sector over the last decade — and continues to show strong momentum. To put that growth in context: employment in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing grew 24% between 2015 and 2024 — more than twice as fast as the overall private sector. This isn't a sector that's keeping up with

We Work For Health's Executive Director Dan Leonard recently sat down with Peter Kolchinsky, founder and Managing Partner of RA Capital Management and author of The Great American Drug Deal, to discuss what Most Favored Nation pricing policies would mean for biotech investment and the future of American medicine. Kolchinsky brings a unique perspective to this debate, having spent nearly 25 years making investment decisions that hinge on the very policy questions Washington is

Graham Cookson, Chief Executive of the Office of Health Economics (OHE), joined a conversation with We Work for Health Executive Director Dan Leonard to unpack pressing questions surrounding prescription drug pricing policy and its effects across Europe's innovation ecosystem. Founded in 1962, OHE is the world's oldest independent health economics research organization. Though headquartered in the UK, its work spans the globe. Drawing on his expertise, Cookson offered a candi

The next generation of lifesaving medicines will depend on whether the United States can maintain its innovation advantage. While American researchers, companies, and public institutions have built the world’s leading biomedical ecosystem, other countries, especially China, are making significant investments to attract biotechnology companies, clinical trials, and drug development. During the recent House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health’s Maintaining America’s Le

America's innovation engine was front and center last week as the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing on patent eligibility and its role in driving breakthroughs across biotechnology, artificial intelligence, diagnostics, and other emerging technologies. The hearing, From Genes to Machines: the Patent Eligibility Debate, examined whether current patent eligibility standards are providing innovators with the certainty needed to invest in the next generation of discov

As the United States recently marked its 250th anniversary, the occasion offered more than an opportunity to celebrate the nation’s achievements. It challenged us to reflect on one of the most enduring forces behind American progress: the conviction that discovery expands the boundaries of possibility, and that people who pursue bold ideas with persistence and purpose can fundamentally transform human life. That belief has never existed solely as an ideal. It has come to li

We Work For Health's Executive Director Dan Leonard recently sat down with Kelly Anderson, the Vice President of International Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center, to discuss the consequences of pharmaceutical price controls in Europe and why the U.S. should avoid making those same mistakes. As policymakers in Washington consider policies such as MFN price controls, Anderson provides a timely and analytical perspective on what's at stake f

Drug affordability continues to draw attention from policymakers, patients, employers and advocates – with intellectual property (IP) increasingly at the center of the debate. A recent Senate Judiciary hearing, Medicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access, brought critical attention to the ongoing debate. During the hearing, Ranking Member Hank Johnson (D-GA) spoke to the importance of patents: "Our nation's founders understood that when inventors are rewarded for their

America's global pharmaceutical edge is not as secure as many might think, and the data makes that increasingly clear. America's innovation ecosystem relies on robust policy that supports the full drug development process – from intellectual property and investment to research, development, and manufacturing. According to a recent report by the American Action Forum, China has surpassed the United States as the world's largest funder of R&D when measured on an international

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that government price setting, regardless of its intentions, has a negative impact on the innovation landscape and patient access. Europe serves as a prime example. Once a leader in global biopharmaceutical innovation, the continent has fallen from the ranks, allowing the United States and China to surge ahead. Recent reports from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) illustrate just how severe th

Governments around the world are making decisions that will influence where innovation thrives and how quickly patients benefit from new discoveries. The 2026 Special 301 Report points to a growing divergence in how major economies value and protect intellectual property, raising important questions about competitiveness, investment and long-term leadership. It marks a significant shift in U.S. trade and enforcement priorities by increasing scrutiny of pricing and reimbur

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

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