We Work For Health Statement on The Role of IP in the Innovation Ecosystem

Ahead of World Intellectual Property (IP) Day on April 26, We Work For Health Executive Director Dan Leonard issued the following statement:

“World Intellectual Property Day is a reminder that medical innovation is the result of deliberate policy choices. In health care, intellectual property determines whether bold ideas are pursued, whether long‑term research is sustained and whether discoveries ultimately reach patients as treatments, diagnostics or cures.

The United States has earned its position as a global leader in medical innovation by creating an environment where scientific risk is met with confidence to invest. Progress in areas such as cancer care and emerging advances in rare disease research reflect years of perseverance, capital formation and policies that recognized innovation as a long-term commitment – not a short-term transaction.

That approach now faces growing pressure. Around the world, governments are actively shaping policy and investment strategies to attract life sciences research and development. At the same time, U.S. policymakers are weighing proposals, including government price setting models such as MFN, that could alter the incentives that determine where research takes place and which unmet medical needs receive sustained attention.

World IP Day underscores a central reality: innovation must be protected if it is to continue. Preserving strong intellectual property policy is about making sure the next generation of breakthroughs is discovered, developed and delivered here in the United States.

We Work For Health will continue to advocate for intellectual property policies that reinforce American leadership in medical discovery and support a health care system capable of advancing patient care today while building the cures of tomorrow.”

In the days leading up to World Intellectual Property Day, We Work For Health will share additional perspectives examining how intellectual property shapes innovation, competitiveness and patient progress. We encourage policymakers, stakeholders and partners across the health care community to take part in recognizing the importance of IP to America’s innovation leadership.