Stephen Ezell

The Trump administration’s call for “most favored nation” drug price controls will lead to less biopharmaceutical innovation and reduced U.S. drug industry competitiveness. However, the president’s willingness to use tariff negotiations to press other nations to pay their fair share for patented drugs is salutary.

The Trump administration’s “MFN” drug-price proposal would pose a far greater threat to U.S. biopharma innovation than the Inflation Reduction Act, because unlike the IRA’s selective list, MFN could apply across virtually every medicine, multiplying the deleterious impact.

As part of its deregulation efforts, the administration should clarify Bayh-Dole march-in rights; rescind NIH Access Planning Policy; rescind FRA two-person train crew requirements; clarify requirements for manually operated driving controls; protect America’s innovative clean-energy technologies; and streamline regulatory permitting for semiconductors.

Instead of blanket tariffs, America should focus first on persuading other nations to pay their fair share, and then on supporting public-private investments in novel technologies that will make U.S. pharmaceutical producers more innovative and cost-competitive.

The administration should focus foremost on addressing China’s mercantilist policies and resist the urge to impose blanket tariffs on U.S. imports of semiconductors, semiconductor inputs, or products with embedded semiconductors.

While the U.S. government is right to prevent U.S. companies from selling advanced AI technology to the Chinese military, cutting U.S. companies off from the entire Chinese market is a cure worse than the disease. It will ultimately harm both U.S. national security and economic interests.

ITIF offered comments on evidence the UK government should draw on; short- and long-term objectives for the UK-China relationship; areas to engage with China, and areas to draw red lines; how engagement could affect other alliances; and how to assess dependencies on China while strengthening security and resilience.

Globalization 1.0 has failed, but protectionist autarky cannot be its replacement. Instead, it is past time to craft a new kind of globalization that advances U.S. interests in key industries and prevents China from becoming the dominant techno-economic power.

The administration should address concerns related to counterfeit products, discriminatory digital taxes, and investment controls for critical technologies with measures to protect American innovation while promoting fair, rules-based trade principles that benefit the U.S. economy and support U.S. technological leadership.

The administration should address mercantilist policies that systematically disadvantage American businesses and workers with corrective measures such as strategic enforcement actions, reciprocal tariffs, expanded trade agreements, and stronger digital trade protections.

The administration should address trade imbalances, discriminatory regulations, and digital trade restrictions imposed by China, India, and the European Union, among others. Targeted policy responses may include reciprocal tariffs, digital trade enforcement, fair pricing mechanisms, and strengthened trade agreements to ensure a level playing field for U.S. businesses.

As the Trump administration seeks to rebalance America’s trade relationships, it should focus the most attention on countries where U.S. industries face the worst trade distortions and imbalances, and where the greatest gains can be achieved for the U.S. economy. China, India, and the European Union top that list.

Watch now for a summit on Capitol Hill presented by ITIF, Purdue University, and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education (NIPTE) where top leaders in AI, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and public policy will discuss what must be done.

Watch now for an expert panel elucidating the innovation economics of the global semiconductor industry, exploring how the industry is capitalized, and exploring the landscape of global semiconductor competition and policy in the year ahead.

Watch now for a conversation detailing the effect and importance of Manufacturing USA, and emphasizing the importance of sustained investment in the program to policymakers.

Please join the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation for an expert briefing event to discuss the findings of a 20-month ITIF investigation into Chinese firms’ innovative capabilities in key advanced industries, including robotics, chemicals, nuclear power, electric vehicles, semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology.

Stephen Ezell joined an expert panel hosted by The Hill to discuss how nuclear power can help the United States meet unprecedented electricity demand and examine the path ahead after the ADVANCE Act.

Watch now for an expert briefing event on Capitol Hill where panelists discussed an ITIF report exploring Chinese EV innovation, the state of global competition in EVs, China’s aggressive support tactics, and what the United States needs to do to stay competitive.

Stephen Ezell delivers a featured presentation at the 2024 national meeting of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIMBL).

Stephen Ezell presents on the principles of national innovation success to the Colombian think tank INNOS.

Stephen Ezell presents on the state of global geoeconomic competition and avenues for United States-Japan economic security collaboration for the Japan Foundation.

Stephen Ezell presents on the status of the CHIPS and Science Program.

Watch now for an expert panel discussion surrounding the ITIF report examining why the United States lost its lead in other advanced technology industries, and how policymakers can avoid repeating the same mistakes in the biopharmaceutical sector.

Watch now for an expert panel discussion about a new ITIF report that was commissioned to inform the U.S. and Indian governments for their joint initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).