The Vaccine Makers

RANK1

In the ceaseless tide of worry over the pandemic, it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come. It is nothing short of remarkable how quickly the pharmaceutical industry developed not one but several COVID-19 vaccines. Not even a year after the first regulatory approvals, well over 30% of the global populace has been fully vaccinated—a historic and humbling achievement. Still, the vaccine rollout has been deeply uneven, with poorer countries left lagging far behind richer counterparts that bought up most of the supply. Scientists and ethicists agree that the disparity is bad for humanity. Not only do inadequately vaccinated populations suffer more harm, they also risk becoming breeding grounds for fast-moving variants of the virus that might evolve to be vaccine-resistant. The Delta variant—and the intense economic uncertainty surrounding it—has provided an unwelcome glimpse of that future. That’s the thinking behind our No. 1 entry for this year’s Change the World list. While last year’s list honored the pharma industry’s unprecedented collaboration on beating the virus, this year Fortune is highlighting companies that are racing to expand access to vaccines, especially in the Global South. For more, read "COVID-19 vaccine makers fight the pandemic fight, worldwide."