Drugmakers have made significant scientific advances in recent years. Unfortunately, their ability to combat potential pandemics isn't included among them.
Driven in part by high prices and an easier path to profit, pharmaceutical companies have increasingly focused on medicines targeting cancer and rare diseases, and they are often amply rewarded by investors for doing so. That has helped lead to important new drugs and a notable drop in cancer deaths. But those efforts can come at the expense of vital but less lucrative work in the service of public health.
The recent outbreak of a deadly respiratory illness in China has reminded the world of the threat of new diseases and their potential for spreading globally. As part of efforts to contain the virus, China this week halted travel out of Wuhan and neighboring municipalities. The World Health Organization decided on Thursday against declaring the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern as the death toll climbed.