Conversations with Mike Milken

George Yancopoulos

Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron

Joseph Vinetz

Professor of Medicine, Yale University; Infectious Disease Physician

Tal Zaks

Chief Medical Officer, Moderna

“We're going to need vaccines to create as widespread herd immunity as we can, but we're also going to need drugs that are targeted against the virus that can provide immediate protection and also treat those who are already sick. So we have multiple clinical trials ongoing with our antibody cocktail, both for prophylaxis or prevention and also for treatment.” – George Yancopoulos, Regeneron

Three world-renowned bioscience leaders join Mike Milken and Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) chief science officer Howard Soule for a conversation on the state of the COVID-19 challenge, herd immunity, and unique approaches to developing safe and effective vaccines, antibodies, and other treatments. Recorded on August 29 as part of a PCF event, this conversation is especially notable as it describes the antibody cocktail that would later be administered to President Donald Trump after he contracted the virus.

Moderna’s Tal Zaks is optimistic that scientists are on the verge of a breakthrough that we’ll learn more about very soon. “In the coming months,” he tells Howard, “expect data from us and potentially some of the other vaccine companies that also have started phase 3 trials that will conclusively demonstrate that these vaccines can work. I hope all of them succeed because I don't think a single company can carry the weight of what's needed to protect all of us and all those who need it.”

“The US and China, particularly in 2020, are on something of a collision course....We should confront where we must, we should cooperate where we can, and we should be clear-eyed that we're in for a period of real tension.”

A retired 4-star, Admiral James Stavridis has not lost his focus on the future of geopolitics and American national security. Recently, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO has turned his attention to how a pandemic will alter the world order and how America might navigate the crisis.

“Europe will come out of this at worst neutral [and] China will come out clearly in a stronger position,” he tells Mike. “For the United States, we need to avoid the mistake of leaning too far toward isolationism....That's going to be crucial for the United States in this 21st century.”

“Public health will not be able to cope with this pandemic if it becomes a major crisis of the scale that we have seen in the West and in China. There's almost nothing we can do about it because we just don't have time. But it has been a massive wake-up call.”

Strive Masiyiwa is in a race against the clock. The Zimbabwean-born businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist is working to shore up medical and food supply chains so African nations can manage a possible surge of coronavirus cases. For Masiyiwa, the stakes could not be higher.

“We all need to help Africa navigate itself through something which is not if it's making and is affecting us,” he tells Mike. “And this is where we really need some global thinking and audacious thinking. Because if we don't think how to help Africa through this, it could be a very difficult next two or three decades and it doesn't have to be so.”

“The UAE was among the first countries in the world to make sure it implemented and successfully executed a testing policy. We ramped up on capacity, on ICU space, on respirator supplies. And that resulted in one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.”

As the Group CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Investment Company, H.E. Khaldoon Khalifi Al Mubarak is responsible for creating sustainable financial returns for Abu Dhabi, overseeing more than $230 billion in assets across 50+ businesses and investments in more than 50 countries. Considered one of the royal family’s most trusted advisors, he is especially proud of what the Emirati response to the pandemic tells the world.

“In the easy times you know your people for sure,” he tells Mike, “But the tough times – that's when you know the mettle of your people, be at a company, be it in the country. And 2020 showed the mettle, I think, of the UAE and the Emiratis.”

Albert Bourla

Chairman and CEO, Pfizer

Alex Gorsky

Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson

“I think history has shown us to have major leaps forward almost after every crisis. Whether it's a war, a natural disaster, or frankly a big challenge such as going to the moon, these kinds of inflection points force us to go in new directions to collaborate and to accelerate technological breakthroughs.” – Alex Gorsky

Two of the most important CEOs in the world today – Pfizer’s Albert Bourla and Johnson & Johnson’s Alex Gorsky – spoke recently with Mike at the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit. While Pfizer is already scaling up production and distribution of their mRNA-based vaccine, Gorsky’s company is looking forward to the third-stage clinical trial results for their single dose, vector-based therapy. The unprecedented collaboration fostered at all levels of the biomedical sector has paid dividends, with many more potential treatments to come.

“I'm very proud for what we have been able to achieve,” Albert Bourla tells Mike. “We will see many more companies in the next few weeks and months demonstrating similar successes in their projects against COVID because one vaccine or two vaccines will not be enough for the entire world. The world needs options.”