This is the saddest story I’ve ever heard.

It’s about the promise of a young life suddenly cut short.

In 1924, Calvin Coolidge Junior was 16 years old. president of the United States. He was precocious and privileged. His future seemed bright. The opportunities for him appeared boundless.

Unfortunately, fate had something else in store for him.

One day, he was playing tennis with his brother. That’s when he rubbed one of his toes raw. He developed a blister, and it progressed into a staph infection. He suffered a fever as the sepsis quickly escalated.

The best doctors in America swung into action to treat Coolidge Junior. But it was no use. The boy’s condition deteriorated. He was dead within a week.

It was a stunning turn of events. The shadow of grief fell over the White House. The president mourned the death of his youngest son — and America mourned with him.

This tragedy was especially cruel because of a historical fact: penicillin would be discovered only four years later by Scottish doctor Alexander Fleming.

Soon enough, penicillin became the world’s first mass-produced antibiotic with the miraculous ability to fight infections. This ushered in a revolution in healthcare. At least 200 million lives have been saved by penicillin since then.

Unfortunately, Calvin Coolidge Junior could not benefit from this breakthrough. He was simply born and raised in the wrong time. Heartbreaking.

 

Source: Our World in Data

 

This sad story resonates deeply with me. Here’s why:

  • I grew up in Malaysia, which was achingly poor and backward only three generations ago. Because of this, I have uncles and aunties who I’ve never met. They died very young. In fact, a number of them never even lived to see their fifth birthday. Much like Coolidge Junior, they simply couldn’t enjoy the benefits of modern healthcare.
  • As recently as 1950, the life expectancy in Asia was only 42. But today, it’s well over 74. It’s staggering to realise how far we’ve come, isn’t it?

Yes, we tend to take medicine for granted. We tend to have very short memories and even shorter attention spans. But still, make no mistake about it. Progress in healthcare is always hard-won:

  • It can take 10 to 15 years to develop even one drug. The price tag for this? Around $1 billion.
  • Unfortunately, 90% of drug candidates in clinical trials will fail. For this reason, biotechnology remains a very risky sector to invest in.
  • Courage, vision, and sweat are required to develop new medicines, then bring them to market. Lots of cash is burned during this journey. The chances of success are very slim. Indeed, this is a business where failure is the norm, not the exception.

Nonetheless, speculative investors with a strong stomach for volatility and danger may still find themselves drawn to the biotech sector:

  • Lately, I’ve been watching one company with a stock price that has climbed over 80% over the past 12 months.
  • This business is focused on three key areas: sleep disorders, epilepsy, and cancer. Positive buzz has been quietly building about its cutting-edge treatments. They could the potential to transform the lives of both children and adults alike.
  • Could there be more upside to come?

 

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