Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines | Council on Foreign Relations

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

What Is Avian Flu?

A global surge in avian flu outbreaks in birds and some mammals is worrying poultry farmers, scientists, and health experts. The trend is provoking questions about the future of the disease and global public health.

Backgrounder by Mariel Ferragamo May 7, 2024
Biotechnology

Bernard L. Schwartz Annual Lecture on Economic Growth and Foreign Policy With Tony Coles

Drawing from his distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry, Cerevel Therapeutics Chairman and former CEO Tony Coles discusses developments in biotechnology, the implications of health policy on economic security, and leadership lessons learned throughout his career. The Bernard L. Schwartz Annual Lecture on Economic Growth and Foreign Policy series focuses on two areas: the evolution of the relationship between business and government in the making of foreign policy, and ways for government to make better use of business in solving foreign policy problems.

Virtual Event by Tony Coles and Michael Froman April 29, 2024
COVID-19

When Will COVID-19 Become Endemic?

Government leaders are optimistic that COVID-19 is becoming more predictable and manageable, but the pandemic isn’t over yet.

In Brief by Claire Klobucista and Mariel Ferragamo May 24, 2023

Experts in this Topic

Luciana L. Borio

Senior Fellow for Global Health

Economics

Cross-border Rx: Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and U.S. International Tax Policy

I want to thank Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and the distinguished members of this committee for the opportunity to testify today. Tax avoidance by American pharmaceutical compan…

Testimony by Brad W. Setser May 11, 2023 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines

A Guide to Global COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts

The swift development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 was an unprecedented scientific achievement. But production challenges, vaccine nationalism, and new variants have all presented hurdles.

Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista December 5, 2022
Infectious Diseases

Why Hasn’t the World Eradicated Polio?

The world is inching closer to eradicating polio, but armed conflicts and opposition to vaccines stand in the way of finally eliminating the disease.

Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista and Danielle Renwick August 22, 2022

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Major Epidemics of the Modern Era

For more than a century, countries have wrestled with how to improve international cooperation in the face of major outbreaks of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a near halt in 2020 and has killed nearly seven million people, underscores the urgency.

Timeline by Claire Klobucista July 25, 2022
World Trade Organization (WTO)

The WTO Hangs On

WTO members confounded expectations last week by concluding a deal on fisheries subsidies, the first major multilateral agreement in nearly a decade. But the trade body is not out of the woods yet.

Article by Inu Manak June 22, 2022 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies
Health

Renewing America Series: Public Health as a Public Good—What's at Stake?

The COVID-19 pandemic amplified health disparities and renewed conversations about the limitations of current public health systems after decades of disinvestment. Panelists explore the idea of reframing public health as a public good to drive investment, modernization, and encourage better coordination across health systems. With its Renewing America initiative, CFR is evaluating nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate a demanding, competitive, and dangerous world.

Virtual Event by David Cutler, Linda P. Fried, Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg and Maria Freire February 14, 2022
Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Data's Role in Preventing the Next Pandemic

Over the past fifteen years, global health has been threatened by Ebola epidemics in West Africa, the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the spread of Zika through the Americas,and the 2009 influenza pandemic. The tolls of each event have been exacerbated by inadequate data systems. Ongoing struggles to track the global spread of COVID-19 demonstrate the need to fix problems in existing surveillance for infectious diseases.

Virtual Event by Rick A. Bright and Jennifer Nuzzo February 14, 2022 Global Health Program
Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Year Three: The Pandemic Continues

As we enter year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, three leading global health experts examine how the United States and the world have dealt with the evolving situation, the lessons learned, and the way forward.

Virtual Event by Rebecca L. Katz, Michael T. Osterholm, Leana S. Wen and Michele Barry February 8, 2022
COVID-19

The World Still Hasn’t Agreed on a Pandemic Playbook

For two years, the world has been battling COVID-19 with masks, vaccines, and lockdowns. There have been impressive results and serious missteps, but countries have failed to channel their shared experiences into a blueprint for action.

Article by Claire Klobucista February 4, 2022
COVID-19

Reporting on the Omicron Variant and COVID-19 Testing

Jennifer Nuzzo, CFR senior fellow for global health, provides an overview on the COVID-19 omicron variant and information about testing. Shalina Chatlani, healthcare reporter for the Gulf States News…

Virtual Event by Shalina Chatlani, Jennifer Nuzzo and Irina A. Faskianos January 25, 2022 Local Journalists Webinars
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines

Vaccine Equity and Global Economic Recovery

Panelists discuss global vaccine distribution efforts, the barriers to achieving vaccine equity, and what this means for global economic recovery.

Virtual Event by Thomas J. Bollyky , Michael Froman , Catherine L. Mann and Debora Spar January 7, 2022 Global Health Program
COVID-19

Seven Charts That Explain the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021

COVID-19 continued its worldwide spread in 2021, spurred by more contagious variants. Vaccines are highly effective, though have been unevenly distributed. Follow the pandemic’s story over the last year through graphics.

Article by Claire Klobucista and Will Merrow December 9, 2021