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Michigan’s Role
SaveLives A RACE TO
M I C H I GA N ’S R O L E I N VA C C I N E D E V E LO PM E N T By Karen Dybis
OR ABOUT
70%
5.6M
OF PEOPLE AGE 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER
MICH
PEOPLE, FOR COVID-19 BY THE END OF 2021
As COVID-19 closures hit schools and businesses, Michigan companies that specialize in health care and logistics played a pivotal role in vaccine development and distribution in the state and nationally, creating a unique kind of team work in a race to save lives. From Pfizer’s role in manufacturing a vaccine to Henry Ford Health System’s leadership in vaccine trials to one leader’s role in distribution through Operation Warp Speed to Mejier’s efforts in vaccination clinics, these Michiganders were essential in getting shots in arms and creating a sense of hope that the virus could be contained. “No matter what we do as an organization or what’s happening in our society, our mission is simple. We are authentically dedicated to improving people’s lives. Right now, that means leaning in to the unprecedented challenge that COVID-19 has presented,” said Wright L. Lassiter III, president and chief executive officer of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
SOURCE: State of Michigan
MICHIGAN’S GOAL
VACCINATE
PFIZER AND BIONTECH CO-DEVELOP VACCINE The effort started in Kalamazoo. That is where Pfizer jumped into the fight, said Dr. Alejandro Cane, vice president of medical and scientific affairs, North America region for Pfizer vaccines. Pfizer and BioNTech entered an agreement in 2018 that sought to develop mRNA-based vaccines for prevention of influenza. In March 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech agreed to co-develop and distribute a potential mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection. “Our goal was to rapidly advance multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates into human clinical testing based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA vaccine platform, while leveraging Pfizer’s broad expertise in vaccine research and development, regulatory capabilities and global manufacturing and distribution network,” Dr. Cane said.
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