ARTICLE | Politics, Policy & Law
What we must do to prepare for the next pandemic, a guest commentary
Financial tools and structural guardrails can prepare manufacturing and protect supply chains for the next pandemic
January 29, 2021 12:42 AM UTC
The U.S. is not ready for the next pandemic. Our public health infrastructure and planning process are not up to the challenge, our capacity to treat at-risk citizens is insufficient, and we are not making enough of a new category of antiviral that can treat emerging viruses: mAbs derived from patients.
The bottom line is this — we are poised to make the same mistakes again unless we act now. Five measures would help the U.S. scale up testing, therapeutics and vaccine development. The goal must be to create policies, financial structures and new capabilities that enable innovation, provide the necessary manufacturing capabilities, and protect the supply chain before the next pandemic hits. ...