How Pharmaceutical Innovation Is Saving the World

January 5, 2021
Mike Hennessy Sr, Founder and Chairman, MJH Life Sciences

A narrative has depicted a pandemic situation that is completely negative. There is another way to tell the story of the past nine months.

Nine months.

In March 2020, the United States was in the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The entire country was shut down, and the economy grinded to a halt, to slow the spread of the virus. Think back to March. Think back to how much uncertainty we were all living under.

In just nine months, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a pair of COVID-19 vaccines: BNT162b2, from Pfizer and BioNTech, and mRNA-1273, from Moderna.


Nine months. Take a moment to let that sink in.

A narrative crafted around the COVID-19 pandemic has depicted a situation that is completely negative. In the interest of ratings and clicks, mainstream media has described the US response to the pandemic as nothing more than a series of blunders, from one mistake to the next.

There is another way—a more accurate and under-appreciated way—to tell the story of the past nine months. It is a story of heroism, innovation, and precise science, performed under unbelievable pressure.

Let’s not mince words: The US and the world must appreciate the role of the pharmaceutical industry—the investigators, physicians and business leaders—who are rescuing the world from COVID-19. It’s the medical breakthrough of our lifetime.

Instead of dwelling on the reasons why the media are ignoring this historic win, let’s review some facts.

  • In addition to the two groundbreaking vaccines, there are at least 60 more undergoing clinical trial at this moment, including 20 in phase 3 trials. In the US and throughout the world, the pharmaceutical industry has answered the call and invested heavily in this effort.

The next step of the process—distribution of the vaccine—will be as challenging as the development phase, if not more so. But we are again witnessing the pharmaceutical industry rising to the occasion. Factories worldwide are working overdrive to produce hundreds of millions of vaccine doses.


Although 15.4 million doses are impressive, some expected 20 million doses. But that is moving the goal line, as many observers didn’t think a vaccine would be available until 2021 as recently as 6 months ago.



With the help, dedication, and expertise of pharmaceutical industry heroes, the unprecedented was accomplished in nine months. Next time you turn on the TV and see negativity, turn it off and imagine instead where we will be in nine months.

- Mike Hennessy Sr., Founder and Chairman, MJH Life Sciences