Innovation is the Best Medicine

$19.99

U.S. drug innovation stands at a pivotal moment. Scientific innovation has never been more capable of delivering treatments that extend lives and improve health outcomes. At the same time, millions of Americans struggle to afford the novel medicines research has the potential to deliver. The result is a growing disconnect between what medical innovation makes possible and what patients can afford. Innovation Is the Best Medicine embraces the value of medical innovation and examines the policies and actors that contribute to the current affordability crisis.

Innovation is the Best Medicine is available for purchase on Amazon in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats.

“Innovation is the Best Medicine provides a highly informed, clear-eyed, and data-driven look at the seeming contradictions in America’s drug development system, which may appear irrational up close but is remarkably innovative at a distance. As someone who covers politics, I’m used to hearing ideological arguments about health care. This book isn’t that: rather, it’s a must-read for anyone who wants to argue about pharma with actual numbers instead of vibes.”
—Nate Silver
“This book is a roadmap for the future of drug innovation. The discovery toolbox has never been more powerful, yet outdated policies stand in the way. The authors offer clear analysis, real case studies, and practical solutions. A must-read for anyone invested in better, more accessible healthcare.”
—J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD President, University of Pennsylvania
“Wong and his team skillfully diagnose the problems ailing drug innovation in the U.S. and Europe, and why China is catching up in the race to develop life changing technologies and therapies. A guidebook for potential reforms.”
—Gregory Zuckerman
“Innovation is the Best Medicine makes the clear case that America’s biomedical innovation ecosystem, while imperfect, remains a vital societal bargain that we can’t afford to lose. The book challenges policymakers and other stakeholders to lower bureaucratic barriers and protect needed incentives that drive tomorrow’s breakthroughs while confronting the crisis of affordability and access. It offers a constructive path forward at a pivotal and fragile moment for U.S. leadership.”
—John Maraganore Founding CEO at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Principal and CEO, JMM Innovations LLC
"The book comes at an extraordinarily time, when drug prices are skyrocketing in the United States, competition with China is at all-time high, and new innovations in drug development are bursting on the scene. Dr. Wong provides an excellent history of American innovation and its disruption, and clear-sighted vision for the future. As a deeply experienced entrepreneur, Dr. Wong gives us lessons that should be taken with utmost seriousness. This book delivers a hefty and powerful message."
— Sid Mukhurjee, MD, DPhil Author, Physician and Professor at Columbia University Medical Center

About the Author

Roderick Wong, MD, MBA is a physician, investor, and nationally recognized leader in biotechnology innovation and healthcare policy. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of RTW Investments, a life sciences investment firm he launched in 2009 to accelerate the development of life-changing medicines through rigorous scientific analysis and disciplined capital allocation.

Over more than fifteen years, Dr. Wong has built and led multidisciplinary teams of scientists, entrepreneurs, and operators focused on translating breakthrough science into real-world therapies. RTW is known for its scientific rigor and its sophisticated engagement with the regulatory, economic, and policy systems that shape whether innovation ultimately reaches patients.

Before founding RTW, Dr. Wong served as Managing Director and sole Portfolio Manager of the Davidson Kempner Healthcare Funds and held roles at Sigma Capital Partners and Cowen & Company. He earned his MD from the University of Pennsylvania, MBA from Harvard Business School, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University.

Dr. Wong serves on the board of Penn Medicine and teaches healthcare finance at NYU Stern. He also founded the RTW Institute, which focuses on reporting and educating on healthcare policy and emerging industry developments, and the RTW Foundation, which advances community health and rare disease initiatives.

About RTW Institute

Innovation is the Best Medicine offers a great opportunity to introduce the RTW Institute, a modern think tank deeply integrated within the RTW ecosystem.

RTW Institute translates complex health and regulatory policies into clear insights for policymakers and the public, at the intersection of two broader themes: innovation and access. The Institute views solving the health affordability crisis while protecting long term drug innovation as the healthcare policy challenge of our time. Innovation is the Best Medicine is an important first step to addressing this challenge.