The new normal
As lockdown restrictions start to ease, the need for drug treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19 has never been higher. At the same time, there has been unprecedented cooperation between nations that have been working tirelessly to find the answers and offer hope to the world’s population. I was lucky enough to listen in to the IFPMA industry association conference last week about the progress on discovering a vaccine, and was very heartened by IFPMA director general Thomas Cueni’s message: “We have a deep sense of responsibility in that we need to ensure no-one is left behind. The notion of an equitable and affordable vaccine is a truly important one.” Read more about this in our coronavirus news section, starting on page 8.
As COVID-19 continues to have a cataclysmic impact around the world, congresses and conferences have been cancelled. As Chris Ross says: “The traditional model of congresses that was crying out for disruption just a few months ago is now being disrupted on an unprecedented scale, with 70% of event planners moving some of their face-to-face meetings to virtual platforms, and a belief by many that we’ll never go back.” Read more in his feature article on page 30.
One of the knock-on effects of COVID-19 has been felt in the clinical trials sector that is focused on trials for other drugs that are not related to COVID-19. There has been a rapid and sharp decline in patient participation, for understandable reasons, and we look at the ramifications of this in our R&D article on page 18.
Once again we feature this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer. Turn to page 16 to read more about why the COVID-19 pandemic is a pivotal moment and how this could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the narrative for some within the healthcare sector.
Away from the COVID-19 stage, Parkinson’s disease is something that affects many families and on page 24 Danny Buckland talks to Arthur Roach, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, about the search for treatments and the important message ‘to keep innovating and keep trying’.
Whether you are reading this online in the garden or on the sofa with the cat on your lap, I hope you enjoy this issue!
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