Dear Governor Spanberger: We, the undersigned organizations, bring deep, on‑the‑ground experience serving older Americans, patients managing complex and chronic conditions, and their caregivers across Virginia and nationwide. We also have a clear understanding of which policies and programs are effective and where they fall short.

Your editorial “Vinay Prasad’s Vaccine Kill Shot” (Review & Outlook, Feb. 12) points out that a recent decision by Mr. Prasad, the leader of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine division, will have negative consequences. Mr. Prasad’s decision to reject Moderna’s flu vaccine without even reviewing it is even worse than you describe. Denying us a new, innovative flu vaccine is horrible health policy. Innovation is at risk because, as Moderna’s CEO has said, if the largest market is off limits, investments won’t be made. But the decision will also have economic consequences. Investment in preventive health is critical as our population ages. In its April 2025 World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund dedicated an entire chapter to the need for healthier longevity as the global population ages.

The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), in partnership with the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association (JPMA), and public health leaders call on G7 governments to fund pull incentives and make “fair share” investments in antibiotic innovation to fight the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. GCOA, JPMA, and health and government officials from the European Union, Italy, Japan, and United Kingdom recently convened to discuss how G7 countries must respond. GCOA today published a report detailing takeaways from the closed-door meeting, “The Role of G7 Governments in Global Efforts to Encourage Antimicrobial Development Through a Pull Incentive: Challenges and Collaboration.”

Today, the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) launched the 2024 AMR Preparedness Index Progress Report. Released in the lead up to the United Nations General Assembly 2024 High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) this September, the 2024 Progress Report assesses how the eleven largest global economies have advanced on calls to action laid out in the 2021 AMR Preparedness Index.

In Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo, one in four residents is older than sixty-five — and that’s the youngest the population will be for a long while to come. Policy makers around the globe would do well to take notes from their response to the aging megatrend.