It’s been over two years since the biopharmaceutical industry committed to playing the greatest possible role in the global response to COVID-19.

In that time, we have seen how one virus can disrupt all our lives, our daily routines, our education and health systems, our economies, and our world. We have also witnessed a historical effort by our industry and partners to develop and manufacture billions of COVID-19 vaccines in record time. Over 12 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been produced and more than 60 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose. Together with our partners, we are working hard so that people can benefit from COVID-19 vaccines wherever they live in the world. We also continue to discover, develop and deliver new generations of vaccines that can provide longer lasting and stronger protection, and are easier to transport, store, and administer.

Treatments are also an important and integral part of COVID-19 mitigation strategies for those people who do contract COVID-19 and are at-risk. Our industry developed new innovative treatments that protect people from severe illness, lower hospitalizations, and save lives. By helping to lessen the pressure on healthcare systems, these treatments also help to ensure people with other diseases can get the care they need, when they need it.

As a science-driven industry that aims to address some of the world’s biggest healthcare challenges, the biopharmaceutical industry is uniquely positioned to respond to COVID-19. In the past two years, we have learned a lot, but our work is not done, we know we need to reach more people, we can do more and better. We will never stop learning and adapting to find innovative ways to meet the world’s public health needs. The biopharmaceutical industry is not standing still. We are #AlwaysInnovating, using the power of science to help us get ahead of this pandemic and be better prepared for future pandemics.

We’re contributing to the largest vaccination effort in history, using our skills and global manufacturing network to make billions of approved or authorized vaccines available to people wherever they live.

We are providing treatments with life-saving potential for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and new treatments that can be taken at home at the first signs of infection or after exposure to COVID-19.

We’re providing vaccines which help provide critical protection from COVID-19, to reduce pressure on hospitals and help minimize disruption to our daily lives and developing new manufacturing methods which will help us adapt and quickly expand capacity for new vaccines and future emergencies.

We’re making vaccines easier to transport, store and administer. We’re also developing new vaccines that could help protect against a broad range of possible COVID-19 variants, as well as vaccines against COVID-19 and other viruses in one dose.

We’re continually evolving our understanding of COVID-19 as the virus itself evolves. We are applying what we’ve learned from this pandemic to create new innovative and improved vaccines and treatments for a range of other diseases.

There is no single solution that will end the pandemic. It will take agility, persistence, innovative thinking, and hard work. We will continue to partner and collaborate within our own industry and with the scientific community, public health authorities, policy makers and regulatory bodies, patient groups and organizations working on the ground. We are determined to leave no stone unturned until everyone is safe from this virus.

Author

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  Morgane De Pol Deputy Director, Communications m.depol@ifpma.org