George Yancopoulos on biotechnology innovation
From American Biotech Losing to China? | Alexis Borisy & George Yancopoulos Speak Out · · MAHA Action
“This commitment to the earliest stages of innovation and staying on it has resulted in a rare story. We have repeatedly delivered some of the most important medicines in medical history, not just one company that comes up with one drug.”
On , George Yancopoulos, Co-Founder, President, Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Chairman at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc, spoke about biotechnology innovation during American Biotech Losing to China? | Alexis Borisy & George Yancopoulos Speak Out on MAHA Action.
About George Yancopoulos
George Yancopoulos, co-founder, president, and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, has been a prominent voice in discussions about the state of American biotechnology and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a November 2025 panel, Yancopoulos stated that the U.S. biotech market share has dropped from 80-85% to below 40% as China has risen, and argued that the U.S. needs to "keep accelerating biotech innovation." He also expressed skepticism about the role of artificial intelligence in drug discovery, saying that "AI cannot come up with a new idea" and is "entirely dependent on human genius." Yancopoulos advocated for the creation of a national database including every American's health records, DNA, and proteomics, which he said would "revolutionize science and biotechnology." Yancopoulos has also reflected on the pandemic response)Skip. In a 2022 appearance, he said that while vaccines and monoclonal antibodies were powerful, "we could have done a much better job logistically and operationally in terms of saving many many more lives." He has described Regeneron's antibody cocktail as a leading treatment given to millions before vaccination, and has noted that the company designed its cocktail to be resistant to viral variants by using two antibodies that do not block each other. Yancopoulos has also spoken about Regeneron's long-term approach to innovation, stating that the company was "losing money every year" for over 20 years while developing new technologies, and that "the strongest steel is forged in the fires of hell."