On September 8, 2020, nine biopharma CEOs — AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer and Sanofi — issued a collective safety and efficacy pledge to forestall a decline in confidence in the industry as a global rush to announce a vaccine heated up and politics in the U.S. to launch a vaccine before it was ready heightened. The pharma CEOs sought to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. This pledge is historic. In a Harris Poll, 78% of Americans already believe the COVID-19 vaccine approval process is driven by politics instead of science. This sentiment can only undermine the reputation of the pharma industry and its development of a COVID-19 vaccine when it is needed the most. People will only take the vaccine if they trust the process.

I took it with a sigh of relief when I heard about the pledge. Naturally, I was curious how it might impact perceptions of pharma companies and the sector. Imagine my genuine pleasure to hear that a post-pledge Harris Poll found that among people familiar with the pledge, 55% had a more positive perception of the nine vaccine companies involved and 43% reported an improved opinion of the FDA. Surprisingly, a large 68% of those polled knew about the vaccine makers' pledge, indicating that people are paying rapt attention to the pandemic and what is happening with a solution. Considering the frenzy of news every day, the fact that this pledge penetrated the news fog gave me hope.

For good reason, the reputation of the pharma industry is improving and although the battle to combat COVID-19 is way from over, the pledge and these findings indicate some progress in restoring trust in our institutions. And in science. And in the American public.