In last night’s speech on health care reform, President Obama outlined his plan to make affordable health care available to all U.S. citizens, an important and worthy undertaking. Important organizations and individuals are working to ensure that the efforts to restrain and cut costs do not come at the expense of our scientific leadership, which has made the U.S. the leading innovator in developing new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics that improve health and save lives. But perhaps less well known is the critical benefit this innovation has not just on U.S. citizens, but on people around the globe.

For decades, people all over the world have depended on U.S. ingenuity in the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics. The first AIDS drug was developed by U.S. scientists in 1987, just four years after the HIV virus was identified. Since that first drug was identified, 31 medicines to treat HIV/AIDS have been approved. The increased availability and utilization of newer prescription medicines has helped to reduce the U.S. death rate from AIDS substantially in recent years. Moreover, there are now more than two million people in poor countries who are being treated with anti-retrovirals. This is the type of broad impact that American innovation is having.

Research!America has tracked consistently strong public support for the U.S. to maintain its leadership role in health and medical research. Indeed, an overwhelming 88% of Americans think that the U.S. should be a leader in research to improve health not only in the U.S. but around the world. Along with improving health systems, medical innovation is key.

This is a case where the American people can help themselves continue to receive new life-saving medicines and also help people around the world who are suffering from ill health. As the horse-trading around health care reform continues, we hope the positive impact the U.S. can make around the globe through the development and use of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics is taken into account.

Melinda Moree, interim CEO, BVGH