Good Day BIO: Two years later

On the anniversary of the COVID-19 “pandemic,” we look back on how far we’ve come and where we go from here. (936 words, 4 minutes, 40 seconds)

Two years later

Two years ago today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a "pandemic." We look back at key activities from BIO and the industry—and where we go from here.

Most of the world woke up to the seriousness of the pandemic on March 11, 2020—but the global biotechnology community had been tracking the virus and working on solutions for a few months.  

Now, two years later, the biopharmaceutical industry has developed some of the most effective vaccines in history in record time, more than 10 billion shots have been administered worldwide, and we might be transitioning to an endemic, explains our reporter Clary Estes.

“What does the end of the pandemic look like?” asked Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s VP of Infectious Disease and Emerging Science. “For me, it's the stabilization of the incidence of disease and prevalence of the strains. That change is coming.”

Now, we must plan for the next pandemic—but the proposed waiver of vaccine IP could thwart that, explained Hans Sauer, BIO’s Deputy General Counsel and VP for Intellectual Property, and compromise global vaccination efforts in the meantime.

A final thought: “Everybody wants to get on with the rest of their lives, and this is fine for the American people,” Arthur noted. “But the legislators and the administration needs to actually take the moment to step back and look at this and ask, what are the systems and safeguards I need to keep?”

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A really quick timeline of biotech's response to COVID-19

Year 1

• February 2020:Already, some vaccines and therapeutics are ready for early trials.
• March 2020:BIO launches the Coronavirus Business Resource Center, the Coronavirus Hub, and holds a virtual summit.
• May 2020: BIO unveils the COVID-19 Therapeutic Development Tracker.
• June 2020: BIO holds the first-ever BIO Digital with more than 7,000 attendees from 64 countries and experts like NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci and then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn.
• August 2020: BIO launches the first pillar of the BIOEquality Agenda in response to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.
• September 2020: BIO hosts the first COVID Treatment Access Summit with 60+ industry leaders.
• December 2020: FDA authorizes the first COVID-19 vaccine, developed by BIO member Pfizer-BioNTech, for emergency use, followed shortly by the vaccine developed by BIO member Moderna. BIO launches COVIDVaccineFacts.org.
• January 2021: BIO releases 100 Days of Innovation, a blueprint with policy priorities to end the pandemic and build resiliency.
• February 2021: FDA authorizes the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BIO member Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson for emergency use. In March, Merck announces it will manufacture it.

Year 2

• March 2021: Year 2 begins with focus on vaccine hesitancy and equity, with BIO’s Michelle McMurry-Heath and Phyllis Arthur driving thought leadership.
• May 2021: BIO proposes the COVID Global Strategy for Harnessing Access Reaching Everyone (SHARE) Program.
• June 2021: BIO Digital convenes biotech leaders to reflect on how biotech jumped to action and the path forward.
• July 2021:155,884,601 Americans are fully vaccinated, which equals 54.9% of the eligible population (12+) and 47% of the total population. In addition, 63.9% of the eligible population (54.6% of total population) had received at least one dose.
• August 2021:FDA fully approves the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 16 and older.
• October 2021: 3 billion of the world’s 5.8 billion adults are vaccinated, with the industry producing 9.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the month.
• November 2021: U.K. approves world’s first COVID-19 pill. CDC authorizes vaccines for kids ages 5-11. BIO and international counterparts meet with the WTO Director-General in Geneva.
• January 2022:FDA fully approves the Moderna vaccine, and Novavax applied for emergency use authorization. WHO says boosters are 80% effective against hospitalization even during the Omicron surge.
• February 2022: BIO holds the hybrid BIO CEO & Investor Conference, bringing a safe return to in-person meetings–thanks to the work of BIO members to address the pandemic.

How the agriculture and environment biotech sector responded to COVID-19

It wasn’t just the biopharmaceutical companies who stepped up—the agriculture and environment sector responded, as well, creating critical supplies and technology.

Synthetic biology has been crucial—from Amyris, which created sustainable hand sanitizer and vaccine adjuvants, to Twist Bioscience, which used synthetic DNA to eliminate the need for researchers to use live virus in R&D.

Others shifted operations to make PPE and sanitizer—including Bayer and POET, to name just two.

And remember the cows? SAB Biotherapeutics genetically engineered cows to produce human antibodies to help diagnose and treat the coronavirus—which are now in a phase 3 trial.

COVID-19 has also shown why we need to clean up the environment. Recent studies have shown that air pollution increases the risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, which is why it’s so important to develop low-carbon, sustainable fuels like the ones from companies like Gevo and LanzaTech.  

And perhaps above all, it’s highlighted the importance of One Health—and the need for research into the origins of COVID-19 and other diseases as part of pandemic preparedness plans.

More News:

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“Based in Kyiv, Enamine has become a key player in global drug research…one of the most important and sought-after partners for researchers hunting new drugs.”

President Biden’s Friday: He's "set to call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia, clearing the way for increased tariffs on Russian imports,” reports Bloomberg. He’ll then head to Philadelphia to speak at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference and tour an elementary school.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill:The Senate passed the $1.5 trillion government funding bill last night, sending it to President Biden for signature. Enjoy the weekend, and get ready for a busy week on Capitol Hill.