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New “America Cures” ad: U.S. patients get new medicines first
https://phrma.org/blog/new-america-cures-ad-highlights-that-u-s-patients-get-new-medicines-first
Intellectual Property and Hatch-Waxman: A blueprint for American leadership and patient savings
American patients enjoy access to more treatment options than anywhere else in the world. This success is built in large part on two legal foundations:
- Our intellectual property system.
- The landmark Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, better known as the Hatch-Waxman Act.
The history: When Congress passed Hatch-Waxman in 1984, the U.S. generic market barely existed. Without a clear pathway for generics to come to market, options were understandably limited. Thanks to the groundbreaking framework laid by Hatch-Waxman, the results today speak for themselves.
By the numbers:
- Nearly 90% of U.S. prescriptions are filled with generics. But before Hatch-Waxman, that number was just 19%.
- More than 80% of approved brand medicines now have generic versions available, often entering the market immediately upon patent expiration.
- Generic medicines have an average copay of just under $7.
Dive deeper: Hatch-Waxman fostered generic competition by creating a streamlined approval pathway that in part lets generics rely on brand clinical data and resolve patent disputes before launch. In return, it preserved incentives for innovation including by restoring a limited portion of patent term lost during the FDA approval process.
Claims that IP (including patents) unfairly delay generic competition overlook why Congress created these protections: Every generic medicine depends on an innovative brand medicine to first reach the market.
The bottom line: To maintain U.S. biopharmaceutical leadership as China rapidly expands its drug discovery and development capabilities, we must preserve the legal framework that drives innovation, lowers costs and expands treatment options for patients.
Learn more about how Hatch-Waxman supports innovation and lower costs.
David Korn
America's cancer research progress is real and worth protecting
National Cancer Research Month is a reminder that smart policies and sustained investment have made America the global leader in cancer research. Maintaining this important leadership is not guaranteed.
Why it matters: The numbers behind America's cancer fight tell a story of accelerating progress, the kind that only happens in an ecosystem of smart policies, long-term investment and consistent scientific commitment.
- The five-year survival rate for all cancers has hit an all-time high of 70% for patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2021, according to the American Cancer Society.
- Cancer mortality has fallen 34% since peaking in 1991, saving an estimated 4.8 million lives.
- Most oncology R&D happens after initial approval, highlighting the importance of continued investment in this research to advance treatments for American patients. For cancer medicines approved between 2000 and 2021, more than half of new uses approved and two-thirds of industry-funded trials occurred post-approval.
- Patients in the United States have access to 88% of new cancer medicines versus just 36% in other high-income countries, who wait 3 years longer on average.
That progress didn't happen by accident. It reflects decades of R&D investment, a strong research ecosystem and policies that reward scientific risk-taking.
The big picture: Some of the most transformative progress is happening at the frontier of cell and gene therapies, treatments that don't just manage disease but target its root causes.
- Nine cell and gene therapies are now approved for cancer in the U.S., with more than 438 more in active development.
- CAR T-cell therapy—first approved in 2017—represent an effective treatment option in cancer care, with patient outcomes data indicating these drugs can functionally cure advanced cancers in certain cases.
Between the lines: PhRMA member companies are backing this progress with billions in U.S. manufacturing and R&D investment, bringing next-generation cancer treatments to American patients. America's leadership in cancer innovation isn't a guarantee. It's the result of smart policy choices that must be maintained and strengthened.
Government price controls and short-sighted reimbursement policies limit access to new medicines and chill the investment needed to fund the next generation of breakthroughs including post-approval innovations. At a moment when oncology science is advancing faster than ever, the wrong policy environment could stall progress in the pipeline.
The bottom line: When America leads in medical innovation, American cancer patients benefit first. Protecting the policies that make that possible isn't abstract, it's what keeps cancer survival rates growing higher.
Learn more at PhRMA.org/Cancer.
Drew Voytal
America Cures: Championing U.S. leadership in medical innovation
This week we launched America Cures, a new campaign that brings into sharp focus a truth too easily forgotten: American leadership in medical innovation matters to every family and every community in this country.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s engine of lifesaving medical breakthroughs — from vaccines that prevent disease to therapies that turn once-fatal illnesses into manageable conditions. That leadership didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of smart public policy, robust private sector investment, world-class research institutions and a marketplace that rewards innovation and risk-taking.
The policies of the last 40 years have created America’s leading innovation ecosystem and delivered real benefits:
- Early access to breakthrough treatments: U.S. patients get new medicines to fight cancer and other diseases three years earlier than patients in other wealthy countries — who may not get them at all.
- Economic benefits in every state: Our industry fuels investment and growth in communities nationwide, with more than $500 billion in new manufacturing and infrastructure investments planned over the next decade.
- Millions of high-paying American jobs: More than 5 million jobs across the country are supported by the biopharmaceutical industry — from scientists and clinicians to manufacturing and supply chain professionals.
- The security of knowing we are not reliant on other countries: America doesn’t have to rely on other countries for innovative medicines, protecting our national security.
But this global leadership is at a crossroads.
China is investing billions to grow its biotech sector, modernize regulatory pathways and create innovation hubs designed to compete with — and in some cases outpace — the United States. At the same time, there are proposals here at home that would weaken the very incentives that have made America the most dynamic place in the world to develop new medicines.
That’s why we created America Cures — to tell the American story of what’s at stake if we don’t act to chart a clear path forward for America’s patients, workers and all communities. At its core, this campaign is about the patients whose lives depend on tomorrow’s breakthroughs:
- Supporting policies that bolster research, protect intellectual property and accelerate safe access to new treatments lead to more cures.
- Investing in R&D and domestic manufacturing isn’t just good for health outcomes; it’s good for the American workforce and local economies.
- Championing smart, patient-centered reforms that address affordability without jeopardizing future breakthroughs.
Because when America leads, everyone benefits — and when America cures, families can thrive. That is the story we will be telling with America Cures, and it’s one worth telling.
Megan Van Etten
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