Pharma R&D alliance to take on long-term pandemic preparedness

An alliance of R&D leaders of pharmaceutical companies is forming an organization focused on ensuring that the world is better prepared for future pandemics. The initiative is fueled by the urgency of the ongoing crisis, informed by lessons learned in the war against COVID-19, and motivated by scientists who know their industry is uniquely situated to protect global populations against a repeat catastrophe.

The organization is an extension of the COVID R&D Alliance that executives from over a dozen pharmas formed in the spring together with a handful of smaller biotechs and VCs, to coordinate and advance the industry’s pandemic response. The goal of the new enterprise is to create a portfolio of therapies, primarily small molecule drugs, that could be rapidly deployed while vaccines are under development, and after vaccines are deployed to treat individuals who are unable to receive or are not protected by vaccines. The emerging threat from SARS CoV-2 variants highlights the importance of therapeutics, even in the context of rapid vaccine development. ...