Exactly one year ago today, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the novel coronavirus COVID-19. And while it’s been a rough year, we’ve accomplished quite a lot—and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is recognizing it.
In just one year, the global biopharmaceutical industry launched more than 825 R&D programs for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics targeting COVID-19, with 50% launched in the United States.
Want to know what's in the COVID-19 pipeline? Check out BIO’s COVID-19 Therapeutic Development Tracker.
And exactly two months ago (December 11), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, from Pfizer-BioNTech, followed by the vaccine from Moderna one week later.
Today, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is introducing a resolution “expressing appreciation and recognition for the scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical community in the historic development of the COVID-19 vaccine in record time.”
The resolution recognizes a few key milestones and players:
- The emergency use authorization of two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) in less than one year.
- The distribution of more than 41 million vaccine doses just one month after authorization.
- The tens of thousands of Americans who participated in vaccine clinical trials.
What they’re saying: “The ongoing pandemic has been the deadliest and most significant health crisis our country has faced in more than a century,” said Rep. Calvert. “Thanks to an unprecedented effort by the scientific community to develop a safe and effective vaccine, Americans willing to step forward in test trials, and Operation Warp Speed facilitating the process, Americans began receiving COVID vaccines less than a year since the virus first appeared in our country. Not only will this historic effort save lives, but it will allow us to further reopen our economy and resume our lives in a safe manner. I join all Americans in expressing my gratitude and praise for everyone involved with making COVID vaccines a reality.”
BIO agrees—and we thank and congratulate our members and the entire biotech industry for this historic effort.
Do you have questions about vaccine R&D—and how this moved so quickly? Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org.