I first joined the health care industry in the early 2000s. At that time, the Human Genome Project had yet to be completed. Concepts like immunotherapy, gene therapy and CAR-T were barely an idea. And there were few treatments for diseases like Hepatitis C, melanoma and cystic fibrosis.
It’s incredible how much the standard of care for many diseases has changed between then and now. Today, we can screen a person’s genome for mutations. Cancers can be targeted using a body’s own cells. And many of those diseases that lacked treatments now have medicines that abate symptoms and effectively cure patients.
This progress is in large part thanks to researchers across America who used disruptive thinking to develop and test treatments that have revolutionized prognosis and treatment. These medicines have saved lives and improved patient outcomes.
PhRMA discussed this progress at its inaugural State of the Industry event. At PhRMA Forum: Commitment to a Healthier America, we brought together leaders across industries – including health care, sports, tech and AI – to discuss how we can use this ambitious mindset to strengthen American competitiveness and ensure patients can access and afford their medicines.
At the event, I also spoke with CNBC about this important moment for our industry and our policy agenda. It’s critical we protect our ecosystem to remain the global leader in innovation.
During my remarks at the forum, I shared a vision for where we need to go from here.
It’s no secret that we’re facing a health crisis in our country. Six in 10 Americans have one or more chronic conditions. Forty percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. And too many patients face access barriers put up by insurers that come between them and the medicines they need.
To halt these trends, we need to embrace our identity as an industry of disruptors. And we need to partner with other industries and with the government to fix what’s broken, to get more impact out of every health care dollar we spend and to make America healthier by launching a new era of medical innovation.
America has dominated the race for scientific discovery for decades. But we face an inescapable truth: American leadership is at risk. We need to nurture what makes us great: Our ability to use new thinking to innovate on behalf of patients. That’s vital for patients, for our health care system and for our role in the global economy.
Learn more about the PhRMA forum here.
Stephen J. Ubl
Stephen J. Ubl is president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents America’s leading biopharmaceutical research companies. The U.S. biopharmaceutical sector directly employs more than 800,000 Americans and invests more than $100 billion in research and development annually – more than any other industry in America.
Ubl leads PhRMA’s work preserving and strengthening a health care and economic environment that encourages medical innovation, new drug discovery and access to life-saving medicines. Ubl is recognized around the world as a leading health care advocate and policy expert who collaborates successfully with diverse stakeholder groups – including patient and physician groups, regulators, public and private payers, and global trade organizations – to help ensure timely patient access to innovative treatments and cures. The New York Times writes, “If anyone can find areas of agreement with the critics, or at least work productively with them, it may be Mr. Ubl. He is more conversant with the intricacies of health policy, and more adept at the politics."
Previously, Ubl served as president and CEO of medical technology association AdvaMed, where he helped facilitate landmark reforms related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration product review process and Medicare’s coverage and reimbursement of medical technologies. He led the industry’s defense of breakthrough R&D, successfully delaying an innovation-stifling device tax, and, in 2013, was recognized by a leading industry publication as one of 10 people to have a lasting impact on the medical technology industry.
Ubl has worked extensively with patient advocacy organizations in health policy, including longstanding service on the board of the National Health Council, a leading umbrella organization for voluntary health care organizations and has been personally involved with JDRF (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
He is routinely recognized as one of Washington’s most effective advocates. Ubl has been recognized on Business Insider’s “DC Healthcare Power Players” and Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.” He is identified as a top health influencer by Medical Marketing & Media and PR Week magazines.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveubl/
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Steve speaking on stage at 2025 PhRMA forum