We Work for Health Virginia

08/27/2026

A Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough Shows What Innovation Can Deliver

For decades, metastatic pancreatic cancer has remained among the most difficult cancers to treat. At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (https://www.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/268016), researchers presented findings that brought the audience to its feet.

In the phase 3 RASolute 302 trial, the investigational medicine daraxonrasib doubled median overall survival among patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, from approximately 6.7 months with chemotherapy to 13.2 months. It also reduced the risk of death by 60%, extended progression-free survival and delayed deterioration in pain and quality of life. Read more about the results: https://www.oncologynewscentral.com/pancreatic-cancer/standing-ovation-at-asco-2026-for-grand-slam-pancreatic-cancer-data-daraxonrasib-doubles-survival

Daraxonrasib is not yet approved by the FDA, but these findings demonstrate what sustained scientific research, private investment and rigorous clinical trials can make possible. For patients and families, additional months are far more than a statistic. They mean more time together and renewed hope against a disease that has offered too little of either.

Virginia has a direct stake in protecting this innovation ecosystem. The Commonwealth is home to more than 3,400 life sciences companies, an industry that supports more than 30,000 jobs, contributes approximately $8 billion to Virginia’s economy and sponsors nearly 1,200 clinical trials each year. Pro-innovation policies can help Virginia attract capital, develop scientific talent, expand advanced manufacturing and move discoveries from the laboratory to patients.

As policymakers debate Most-Favored-Nation pricing and potential expansions of federal drug-price controls, they must consider how those decisions could affect investment in the next generation of treatments. Patients need affordable access to today’s medicines, but they also need the breakthroughs still being developed.

Virginia Bio supports policies that advance both access and innovation, strengthen Virginia’s growing biotechnology sector and ensure researchers can continue pursuing treatments once thought beyond reach.

08/27/2026

With the rising number of friends, family members, and people in our communities being diagnosed with cancer, conversations about medical innovation are hitting closer to home for so many of us.

The numbers tell us why this conversation matters. Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer than any other racial or ethnic group, yet while we represent nearly 14% of the U.S. population, we account for only 5–7% of cancer clinical trial participants. (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network)

But there is also reason for hope. Research presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting found that patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving daraxonrasib had a median overall survival of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months with chemotherapy, while reducing the risk of death by 60%. (UCLA Health)

And this is about economic opportunity, too. Virginia is home to more than 3,400 life sciences companies that employ over 30,000 people and contribute approximately $8 billion to our economy. Black entrepreneurs, researchers, businesses, and workers should be part of that growth. (VirginiaBio)

For me, it comes down to three things: innovation + access + representation.

We need to keep advancing lifesaving research while ensuring that the people disproportionately impacted by disease are represented in research and have equitable access to the breakthroughs that follow.

What does true health equity look like to you?

Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Mark Warner, Congressman Morgan Griffith, and Jennifer McClellan

08/17/2026

The 340B drug discount program moves more than $100 billion a year, but taxpayers and patients have little visibility into where those savings actually go.

A new push for greater transparency would require participating hospitals to show their work: itemize claims, prevent duplicate discounts, and report how much charity care they actually provide.

The 340B program was created to help patients in need. Transparency and accountability can help ensure that’s where the savings go.

Read the full op-ed here:

Reforming the 340B drug discount program requires complete transparency and accountability measures to curb hospital profit abuse.

08/03/2026

Innovation, not isolation, is how America stays ahead in biotech. As billions of dollars in drug patents expire, the U.S. should focus on attracting top talent, investing in research, and helping American companies develop the next generation of lifesaving treatments.

The goal should be to outcompete China through innovation, not slow medical breakthroughs with policies that make it harder for patients to access tomorrow's cures. Read more here:

If we slash federal research budgets, we risk hamstringing our scientists and losing an otherwise winnable race.

07/07/2026

Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) pricing may promise lower drug prices, but tying U.S. prices to those set by foreign governments risks importing their price-control systems.

Rather than adopting policies that could discourage investment in new medicines, the U.S. should address unfair foreign pricing practices while protecting American pharmaceutical innovation and the development of future lifesaving treatments.

Read more here:

Executive Summary U.S. patients pay more than patients in other wealthy countries for the same branded prescription drugs, but that gap does not prove that . . .

05/28/2026

Congress is right to take a closer look at the 340B program and the hidden costs it creates for patients, families, employers, and taxpayers.

Thank you to Congressman Morgan Griffith for leading oversight efforts and pushing for commonsense 340B reforms that put patients first, lower healthcare costs, and protect access to affordable, community-based care for Virginians.

Read the Op-Ed here:

What was meant to be a patient-focused program is now a hospital markup program where large, tax-exempt hospital systems buy discounted drugs, mark them up by as much as 1,000% or more and bill pat…

05/21/2026

Thank you, Governor Abigail Spanberger for vetoing the Prescription Drug Affordability Board legislation (HB 483/SB 271) and standing up for patients, innovation, and access to life-saving treatments in Virginia.

This legislation would have created uncertainty for healthcare stakeholders and risked limiting access to new medicines for Virginians who need them most.

We appreciate Governor Spanberger’s leadership and commitment to policies that protect patient access and support continued medical innovation.

05/07/2026

Latino communities face disproportionate health challenges and Washington’s latest healthcare proposals risk making that worse — increasing delays, restricting access to treatments, and limiting future innovation. Real reform should lower costs by increasing transparency, holding insurers and PBMs accountable, and putting patients first. Find out more here:

The latest push in Washington to lower healthcare costs is overlooking the needs of those with the most at stake: Latino patients.Latino communities carry some of the highest rates of c

04/30/2026

We’re grateful to Senator Mark Warner for co-sponsoring the PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act (S.3345), a meaningful step toward lowering costs and improving transparency for patients.

Pharmacy benefit managers play a major role in determining what patients pay and what treatments they can access. Bringing more accountability to that process helps ensure the system works as intended.

Read more here:

PBM reform championed by Sen. Warner is a necessary step to lower health care costs for patients, VA Bio’s John Newby writes in a guest column

04/21/2026

VAHO applauds Governor Abigail Spanberger's amendments to SB 271/HB 483, taking an important step to protect cancer patients’ access to care.

By requiring further study and a 2027 vote before certain drug pricing provisions take effect, these changes ensure policies won’t unintentionally disrupt treatment in communities across the Commonwealth.

Cancer patients need solutions that lower costs without risking access. VAHO urges the General Assembly to support these patient-focused amendments.