Drug makers’ efforts to defeat the pandemic have changed perceptions, but vaccines represent a small part of their overall operations and offer thin profit margins
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The healthcare sector is in the spotlight in 2021 as every citizen, in every country, pins their hopes on Big Pharma delivering a fast and effective solution to the COVID-19 virus.
Just 12 months after the global pandemic began, the fastest and most coordinated effort ever undertaken by drug companies is distributing vaccines by the millions a day. This achievement is raising hopes for a return to normal by the end of this year and offers valuable lessons into how to respond to future outbreaks.
“In the last year, Big Pharma has shown it has a real capacity to change our lives for the better,” says Paul MacDonald, Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager at Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. in Oakville, Ontario. “As a result, our attitudes towards drug companies have changed.”
The Globe and Mail Adam Mayers Published December 14, 2020
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Animal welfare organizations across Canada have seen a surge in demand for pet adoptions as Canadians spend more time at home during the pandemic and opt for the comfort of animal companionship and the distraction that it provides from the hard realities of COVID-19.
For investors, health care for pets and livestock offers another way to look at this trend. It is growing strongly, has solid fundamentals and committed customers.
Kristin Peck, chief executive officer of Parsippany, N.J.-based Zoetis Inc. (ZTS-N), the largest pure animal pharmaceutical company, said as much in a recent conference call during which she called animal health care a “steady and reliable sector,” even in times of economic hardship.