Discussing COVID-19 with Fred Hassan and Clifton Leaf

In recent weeks I’ve had the pleasure of participating (virtually) in two major healthcare conferences to discuss COVID-19 and the biopharmaceutical industry’s efforts to wrestle the pandemic to ground.

On June 29, I joined my Amgen board colleague Fred Hassan (above) for a fireside chat at the annual R&D Leadership Summit. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Driving Change to Improve Human Health.” Fred and I discussed the unprecedented collaboration we’re seeing among industry, government, and academia to develop hundreds of potential vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 at a faster pace than we ever thought possible. One downside of all this activity, of course, is the potential for bottlenecks as companies pursue the same drug targets and the same patients for clinical trials. On the whole, though, I’m encouraged that the world increasingly understands that innovation holds the key to defeating this pandemic, and I’m confident that our industry will deliver. 

On July 7, I had the opportunity to speak with Fortune Editor-in-Chief Clifton Leaf at Fortune’s annual “Brainstorm Health” conference.  While much attention has been focused understandably on vaccines for COVID-19, vaccines alone may not be enough, and I shared with Cliff my optimism that our industry will be able to bring forward therapies in the meantime that will reduce the risk of serious illness and death in those infected by the virus. One therapy under investigation is Amgen’s own Otezla? (apremilast), an anti-inflammatory medicine that’s already on the market for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.   

I also observed that the pandemic could help bring about a much-needed reorientation of healthcare systems around the world away from “fixing what’s broken” and toward predicting and preventing disease. While none of us were able to predict COVID-19, many other serious health challenges – such as heart disease, still the leading cause of death worldwide – can increasingly be predicted and prevented. By getting better at identifying those at greatest risk of such diseases and getting them on the right preventive treatment, we can improve the lives of tens of millions of people around the world while also freeing up funds to get after other health challenges, like COVID-19, that may catch us off guard.

I invite you to click here to read Fortune’s coverage of my conversation with Cliff Leaf at this year’s “Brainstorm Health” conference.  

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APPROVED USES

Otezla? (apremilast) is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for whom phototherapy or systemic therapy is appropriate.

Otezla is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.

Otezla is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of adult patients with oral ulcers associated with Beh?et’s Disease.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

You must not take Otezla if you are allergic to apremilast or to any of the ingredients in Otezla.

Otezla can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, especially within the first few weeks of treatment. Use in elderly patients and the use of certain medications with Otezla appears to increase the risk of having diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Tell your doctor if any of these conditions occur.

Otezla is associated with an increase in depression. In clinical studies, some patients reported depression, or suicidal behavior while taking Otezla. Some patients stopped taking Otezla due to depression. Before starting Otezla, tell your doctor if you have had feelings of depression, or suicidal thoughts or behavior. Be sure to tell your doctor if any of these symptoms or other mood changes develop or worsen during treatment with Otezla.

Some patients taking Otezla lost body weight. Your doctor should monitor your weight regularly. If unexplained or significant weight loss occurs, your doctor will decide if you should continue taking Otezla.

Some medicines may make Otezla less effective, and should not be taken with Otezla. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines.

Side effects of Otezla include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, upper respiratory tract infection, runny nose, sneezing, or congestion, abdominal pain, tension headache, and headache. These are not all the possible side effects with Otezla. Ask your doctor about other potential side effects. Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or planning to breastfeed. Otezla has not been studied in pregnant women or in women who are breastfeeding.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-332-1088.