Kelli Zhao
Policy Analyst, Economics of Biopharmaceutical Innovation
Zhao is a policy analyst focusing on the economics of biopharmaceutical innovation. She holds a M.Sc. in international health policy (health economics) from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and a B.A. in economics from the University of Sydney. Previously she worked as a research assistant at The George Institute for Global Health in Australia.
Recent Publications
How Skeptics Misconstrue the Link Between Drug Prices and Innovation
A recent article in the British Medical Journal contends “high drug prices” are neither necessary nor justified to sustain biopharmaceutical innovation. But it misrepresents and misinterprets the facts, highlighting how faulty the rationale is for drug price controls.
White House Names the First 10 Drugs Up for Medicare Price Negotiations; Misguided Attempt to Control Drug Prices Only Hurts Patients Long-Term
The IRA Medicare drug negotiations represent a poorly crafted policy with many direct and unintended consequences for biopharmaceutical innovation. Rather, this short-term win for government drug price-setting advocates will likely lead to long-term harms that patients will feel for decades.
The Economics of Biopharmaceutical Innovation: Symposium Report
Investments in biopharmaceutical innovation and expenditures on medicines themselves both produce tremendous societal returns. Maintaining the robust innovation ecosystem necessary to capitalize on these benefits requires the right mix of “push” and “pull” incentives.
