Anthony Harrelson: Medicinal Advancements

Anthony Harrelson is the CEO of his own Biopharmaceutical Company that is determined to find better ways to combat and cure disease. He pursues this goal with fervency because he has seen in the past what medical advancements have done for humanity as a whole. One particularly good example of the impact pharmaceuticals had on human history can be seen when you examine the aftereffects of World War 2. It was during this time that the world experienced a kind of medicinal revolution, where many new discoveries of several classes of antibacterial drugs would combat diseases and infections that were once fatal.

Many of these advancements were initially looked into as ways to more effectively combat battle wounds, but led to exciting advancements in the cure for all diseases. Streptomycin for example, was discovered during the Merck-funded research program, which would become the first effective way to deal with tuberculosis, a very deadly disease of the time period. At the time of this discovery, there were places called sanatoriums, which would house and isolate those infected with tuberculosis found in every city. Most would die within 5 years of entering the house.

The Federal Trade Commission used a report in order to see just how much of an impact the antibiotic movement had on public health as a whole. What they found was that there was a 42% drop in the contraction of diseases that could be combatted by antibiotics. Even the diseases that couldn’t be directly combated by antibiotics experienced a 22% drop in rates of contraction. The study would further reveal that the mortality rates of once devastating diseases would drop at a remarkable rate. Antibiotic therapy would lead to a 56% decrease in mortality rates for diseases like whooping cough, pneumonia, scarlet fever and dysentery. Tuberculosis would also experience a decline of mortality rates of 75%. This study demonstrated just how effective antibiotics were for combating disease.

Death rates for disease would quickly decline once antibiotics were being used regularly in the treatment of diseases. This dramatic decline of disease related death was also due to the new treatments for disease as well as the vaccines coming out at the time. It was truly a time of medical triumph for man. Thanks to all of these developments, it is estimated that the measles vaccination alone prevented 52 million cases in 20 years.

Anthony Harrelson is the CEO of a Biopharmaceutical company that is on the cutting edge of developing new cures.