Nordic Life Science 1
NORDIC LIFE SCIENCE EDITOR IN CHIEF: MALIN OTMANI
ART DIRECTOR: ANNIKI SKEIDSVOLL EDÉN REPORTER: ELLEN R. DELISIO ENGLISH PROOFREADING: GAIL ADAM REPRO: LENA HOXTER COVER PHOTO: JENNY ÖHMAN PRINTED BY: ÅTTA.45 2020 PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: MATTIAS OLME PRODUCT MANAGER: ADAM RÅSBERG MARKETING & SALES: ANDRES VARGAS ANDRES@NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG +46 8 588 941 56 COPYRIGHT 2020 BY MEDIAVALUE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WHITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. A MAGAZINE FROM MEDIAVALUE MV INFORMATION AB, KINDSTUGATAN 1 111 31 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN PHONE: +46 8 588 941 51 SUBSCRIPTION: ONE YEAR PRINT AND ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION: 1 990 SEK / 199 EUR / 219 USD 01. FOUR PRINTED ISSUES OF THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 02. ALL ISSUES ONLINE, READABLE ON YOUR PREFERRED DEVICE 03. WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES FROM OUR NEWSLETTER NORDIC LIFE SCIENCE NEWS CALL: +46 8 588 941 52 OR SIGN UP AT: NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG Sir David Attenborough’s documentary A Life on Our Planet. One of the takehome messages was that it is critical that we acknowledge and respect the scientific facts about climate change that have been presented to us, and that we adapt to this evidence in order to halt, and even reverse, some of the damage we’ve caused on this planet. PARTNERS: The same should apply for scientific facts about the new coronavirus and COVID-19 provided to us. The facts – although new findings replace old ones almost every day – must continuously be evaluated and taken into consideration when decisions are taken with the best and global health of our societies in mind. Unfortunately, many issues where scientific evidence should be the foundation have become politically polarized, including rejection of scientific evidence that misaligns with political preferences, and distrust in science has consequences. Findings from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Civic Life and Public Health national opinion survey show that the factor that distinguished doubters of social distancing during the pandemic in the US was their trust in science. The fact that nearly half of US adults have doubts about science reveals why misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic has proliferated so easily. Now more than ever, believing that science is a public good and having trust in science is critical, and it seems as if, after years of fake news and political messages like “science is also only an opinion,” the trend is changing. Recent surveys, including 3M’s 2020 State of Science Index and the Open Knowledge Foundation survey in the UK, suggest that public trust in science has risen during the pandemic. As we face the most challenging health crisis in our lifetime, science is more relevant, more trusted, and more important than ever to people all over the world. The pharma industry has also made a stand, recently signing a historic vaccine safety pledge, saying they will “stand with science” and ensure public confidence in the scientific and regulatory process by which COVID-19 vaccines are evaluated and may ultimately be approved. This is particularly important when there is so much pressure to do something premature. MALIN OTMANI EDITOR IN CHIEF FOR DAILY UPDATES OF THE NORDIC LIFE SCIENCE INDUSTRY, VISIT: NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG.