Planetary health investing and biotech investing are more alike than most practitioners in either camp realize. Yet the two ecosystems have largely evolved in parallel, developing their own governance norms, financing conventions, and public-market strategies. That separation is a missed opportunity. 

A year ago we published the first “Semper Maior” piece, making the case that biotech was on firm ground and ready for a reboot. We put out the second piece last summer, when it felt like the rebound was underway. Had the year ended in October or even November… well, you know. But here we are after a general market and XBI surge feeling like biotech is now truly recovering from its prolonged downturn. So let’s mine the data, as we have before, to get a sense of what happened in 2023 and what lessons to take with us into 2024.

Traditional cost-effectiveness analyses done by organizations like ICER and NICE overlook much of the value of new drugs, including factors with crucial societal impact like genericization, risk reduction, and community spillover. Peer-reviewed research has made this clear again and again, but these organizations continue to insist on using outdated formulas to determine the value of drugs. With the passage of the IRA and imminent drug pricing “negotiations” (read: price controls), it’s more important than ever to get the math that values our medicines right.

We are deeply concerned the new Senate drug bill fails to deliver adequate relief to the nation’s seniors and their families. It falls short of a generational opportunity to meaningfully lower Medicare beneficiary and taxpayer out-of-pocket costs. The revised language is not good enough for patients, bad for biopharma innovation, and provides no guarantee that PBMs and insurance plans will share savings with beneficiaries.

As the 2022 midterms loom, drug pricing reform is again at the forefront of the conversation. And with inflation at 8.6%, it’s undeniable – Americans are hurting, and paying less at the pharmacy counter may alleviate part of that burden. But not all drug pricing reforms are created equal. So how would price controls impact R&D?