“Science Doesn’t Wait”: Energy & Commerce Hearing Highlights the Need to Strengthen U.S. Biomedical Leadership
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
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 Leadership in Biomedical Innovation: FDA’s Role in Advancing U.S. Drug Development hearing, policymakers and experts examined how the United States can preserve its leadership by strengthening the systems that drive innovation, from early-stage research and clinical trials to FDA review and commercialization.
Testimony and remarks during the hearing underscored that maintaining America’s competitive edge will require policies that support scientific excellence, regulatory efficiency, and continued investment in the biomedical ecosystem.
Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) captured the stakes clearly, warning that China is making significant investments to challenge America’s position as the global leader in developing safe and effective medicines.
His remarks underscore a critical reality: American biomedical leadership is not guaranteed. It depends on a strong innovation ecosystem supported by smart policies, sustained investment, and a regulatory environment that enables researchers and companies to advance breakthrough therapies and deliver them to patients faster.
While the United States continues to lead the world in biomedical innovation, China is rapidly expanding its capabilities and has surpassed the U.S. in certain measures, including the number of registered clinical trials in 2025.
However, Dr. Cynthia Verst, President of R&DS Design and Delivery Innovation at IQVIA, emphasized that this growth should be viewed in context: much of China’s clinical trial activity is “by China, for China,” and does not yet reflect the same global reach and impact of the U.S. innovation ecosystem.
Thomas Bollyky, Bloomberg Chair in Global Health, Senior Fellow for International Economics, Law, and Development, and Director of the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, also spoke to China's dominance in clinical trials, citing China's newfound ability to offer first-in-human trial pathways significantly faster than the U.S. Bollyky warned that if China continues to surge ahead, it poses a serious biosecurity risk and endangers American patients and hospitals that rely on America's leadership in biopharma innovation.
Bollyky’s concerns about the future of early-stage drug development are well founded, particularly as policies that could weaken America’s innovation ecosystem continue to advance. Government-imposed price controls, including those established under the Inflation Reduction Act, and proposed Most Favored Nation pricing policies risk undermining investment in biomedical research and development by reducing incentives to pursue the next generation of breakthrough therapies. Ultimately, policies that discourage innovation could slow the development of cutting-edge medicines and delay access to life-saving treatments for patients.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) also spoke out, drawing on his 40 years of experience as a pharmacist. His message helps to lead the charge, urging his fellow policymakers to safeguard American innovation by strengthening our own systems.
He noted, "We can't beat China by copying China... We're going to beat them the same way that we beat Europe."
Ahead of the hearing, We Work For Health submitted comments emphasizing the importance of protecting America’s biomedical innovation ecosystem through policies that support research, regulatory excellence, and investment while cautioning against measures that could undermine future breakthroughs and patient access.
Breakthrough medicines depend on a strong, science-based regulatory system that can keep pace with innovation. FDA’s ability to efficiently review new therapies while maintaining rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness has helped establish the United States as the global leader in biomedical innovation. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) has been central to this success by providing FDA with the resources, scientific expertise, and predictability needed to support timely reviews and advance the development of new medicines.
As Bollyky stated in his testimony, “science doesn’t wait patiently.” The window to protect America’s biomedical leadership is narrowing, and WWFH urges policymakers to take bold, timely action to ensure future discoveries, investments, and lifesaving treatments remain rooted in the United States.