Does the US have a drug innovation problem?

<p>Last week, Representative Katie Porter took AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez to task on drug pricing during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing. Porter highlighted the CEO's high salary while pointing to increases in drug prices in the pharmaceutical industry.</p><p>The narrative casts pharmaceutical companies as villains but it's more complicated than that. It's true that pharmaceutical companies provide life-saving medicines and it's also true that some drugs simply aren't affordable for individuals that would benefit from them.</p><p> On this episode of <em>Health Affairs This Week, </em>Senior Editor Jessica Bylander joins Deputy Editor Rob Lott to discuss the inherent tensions in drug innovation and pricing. </p><p><strong>Related Links:</strong></p><ul> <li> <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00328">Beyond The High Prices Of Prescription Drugs: A Framework To Assess Costs, Resource Allocation, And Public Funding</a> (<em>Health Affairs</em>)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0990">New Players Join The Drug Development Game</a> (<em>Health Affairs</em>)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2021/05/24/bonds-drug-development-covid19-coronavirus/">Lawmakers Pitch A Bill To Create $30 Billion In 'Biobonds' To Jumpstart Drug Development</a> (<em>Stat News</em>)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2019/01/11/drug-pricing-conversations-include-cost-innovation/">Drug Pricing Conversations Must Take The Cost Of Innovation Into Consideration </a>(<em>Stat News</em>)</li> <li> <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-nonprofits-federal-surpass-pharma-alzheimer.html">Nonprofits, Federal Government Surpass Pharma To Lead Alzheimer's Drug Development</a> (<em>Medical Xpress</em>)</li> </ul><p><br>Subscribe: <a href="https://feeds.transistor.fm/health-affairs-this-week">RSS</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/health-affairs-this-week/id1542851834?uo=4">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="ht