As Washington debates new ways to make the nation’s healthcare system work better for Americans, policymakers should keep one question in mind: What would happen if the U.S. stopped being the world’s most attractive place to discover and develop new medicines?
The answer is not theoretical. Europe already ran that experiment.
For decades, the United States has been the global leader in medical innovation. American researchers, universities, investors and life sciences companies have produced treatments that transformed once-fatal diseases into manageable conditions. They have given hope to patients battling cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and numerous other illnesses.