64 TIME April 11/April 18, 2022
TITANS‘I haven’t
thought of this
in the context
of following
an icon.’
PFIZER
REDUCING RISK
After playing a critical role in curbing
COVID-19 disease with its vaccine, P zer
and CEO Albert Bourla late last year
introduced an oral antiviral therapy to
treat those at highest risk of severe
illness. The two-drug combination is the
rst pill-based corona virus treatment
in the U.S., and can reduce the risk of
hospitalization or death by up to 89%.
Demand for Paxlovid, which has received
emergency-use authorization from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, will likely
increase under the White House’s plan to
broaden access to such therapies with its
Test to Treat initiative. —Alice ParkUPS
SHIPPING SUCCESS
UPS is easy to like: the lion’s share of
its drivers are unionized, and nearly
half of its board of directors and 33%
of its C-suite are women. The company
led the industry in on-time delivery in
2021, moving more packages than ever
while posting $13 billion in proi t. To
achieve this, it raised prices and turned
away lower-yield businesses, rather than
trying to build capacity that may not be
needed down the road. “The COVID-19
crisis became a great crystallizer,” says
CEO Carol B. Tomé, who, after 24 years
at Home Depot, came out of retirement
to head UPS just weeks before the
pandemic hit. “We honed our purpose.
We strategized. We reorganized.
We prioritized.” —Alana SemuelsCAROL B. TOMÉ