The 22 most influential people in the fight against COVID-19

Over the last seven to eight months, lives across the globe have changed in unforeseen ways. More than a million lives have been lost, and tens of millions of people have contracted COVID-19. The coronavirus upended daily life, slammed the economy, and sent businesses scrambling to cope.

For the pharma world, it's been a crisis with a purpose. Scientists, regulators, biotech companies and drugmakers large and small have taken center stage as they hunt for drugs, vaccines, diagnostic tests and other aids in halting the pandemic.

We've chosen 22 of them to feature here, some working behind the scenes, others very much in the spotlight. We focused on people whose names aren’t necessarily in the news regularly, highlighting experts attacking COVID from all angles.   

Some are part of the record-shattering vaccine development process. Others are testing drugs new and old against the newly emerged virus. Still others have focused on improving diagnostics, manufacturing needed supplies or improving public health.

They've been working around the clock—literally, some of them—to bring the pandemic to an end. There’s plenty more work to do, but their progress is already tangible. We hope you enjoy reading their stories.