The Bright Side of a Dark Pandemic
Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer, Moderna We are winning our war against the most lethal viral threat the world has faced in 100 years. This feat is due to an extraordinary collaboration by private industry, hospitals, medical labs, research universities and government to produce incredible breakthrough science while setting a land speed record for drug development – without sacrificing safety. In the past, creating vaccines was an arduous task that took up to a decade to clear the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the COVID-19 pandemic, we had three final vaccines ready in less than a year, despite deploying a novel and daring innovation – messenger RNA – that was being studied for other viral diseases, but not yet through the development process. The U.S. government deserves a lot of credit for taking truly remarkable actions. Early last year, as the pandemic erupted, the federal government
distributed $10.5 billion in emergency research grants to a handful of drug companies for testing, vaccine development and the like. They focused not just on clinical development, but also on manufacturing and distribution. With positive results, Americans received the vaccine quickly and assisted other nations in fighting this adversary. Less than 18 months after the pandemic erupted, a total of 1.98 billion vaccine doses worldwide have been administered, including 297 million in the U.S. As of June 2, enough doses have been administered to fully vaccinate 12.9% of people worldwide and 41% of people in the U.S. Now, as new variants emerge in South Africa, Brazil, India and elsewhere, we hope to develop new booster shots that clear the FDA perhaps in as little as 100 days. We have begun testing our first booster under streamlined procedures that will speed the process significantly. The next test lies in how we can apply the lessons learned in the COVID-19 crisis to the rest of health care: how to expedite development while ensuring safety and free up urgent innovation and coax collaboration across a diverse range of medical, scientific and regulatory specialties. Medicine, after all, is a team sport. This kind of multidisciplinary approach shows us that together we are strong, and together we can have an immediate impact – while allowing us to better prepare to tackle future health care challenges. Lastly, we must also figure out how to make these innovations available, affordable and accessible across the U.S. and around the world.
Aging With Dignity
Sima Delafraz, Global Sales and Marketing Leader, First Quality Research has shown that aging healthfully requires three critical ingredients: active living, psychological vigor and a strong sense of dignity. As we age, we must ask ourselves a critical question: How can we continue to embody all three of these traits? Numerous studies have also shown that exercise can decrease risk of death, help stave off certain cancers, lower risks of osteoporosis and pave the way for longevity. In one 2012 review paper the authors sum up the tenor of this work with a quote from the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero, which roughly translates to “even in old age, exercise and moderation can preserve something of young vigor.”
“Young vigor” isn’t just physical, it’s mental. It’s a sense of dignity, capability and continued purpose. One meta-analysis published in 2016 found that having a high purpose in life was associated with a 17% reduced risk in all-cause mortality. Dignity, too, is an essential part of maintaining that purpose. Dignity imparts a feeling of hope, empowerment, pride and autonomy. (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
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