Lilly's Sidney Taurel heralds new life stage created by biomedical revolution

By Linda Myers

Sidney Taurel began his Hatfield lecture Sept. 20 by counseling the audience to "reject the terrorists' spectacle of despondency and disorder" and instead embrace a future that he painted in the brightest, most hopeful colors.

Hatfield lecturer Sidney Taurel, CEO of Eli Lilly Co., speaks in Schwartz Auditorium of Rockefeller Hall, Sept. 20. Robert Barker/University Photography

Taurel, the CEO of the international pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Co., went on to say that the trend toward an aging population, although feared as burdensome and costly to society by some, might instead be an untapped resource. "I believe that the trend will bring great benefits" when coupled with a parallel trend -- radical advances in biology and medicine, he told students, faculty and staff in Rockefeller Hall's Schwartz Auditorium.

"Gerontologists say we've added maybe 20 years of life without a disabling condition" to the human life span, he said, crediting biomedical progress for much of that achievement. "We're witnessing the emergence of a new life stage between middle and old age. Retirees today are not buying rocking chairs -- they are buying sea kayaks, signing up for walking tours at age 80, using technology to fight off loneliness and stay mentally in good health. These super seniors may turn out to be our greatest resource for continued vitality and economic growth," predicted Taurel.

But while seniors working and playing longer could be the resource that sustains economic growth at a time when the population in developed countries in general is diminishing, Taurel said, the shift won't happen unless attitudes and policies about aging change. "We need to rethink our 'carrier pack' view of work and retirement," Taurel advised, describing the current but outmoded view as a "40-year climb with a heavy backpack up a mountain that gets steeper and steeper -- then you give up your pack for a parachute and take a sudden plunge. Why not a gradual shift instead?" he asked.

"The biomedical revolution is not without its challenges," said Taurel. "Our leaders need to be especially careful not to cut off any chains of research," because of fear of biotechnological developments. "We have to ensure we find the right balance between thwarting scientific progress and protecting individual rights and freedoms." In addition, he predicted, we will need to adapt to the reshaping of key industries, among them travel and tourism, real estate, housing and insurance.

However, once we overcome such challenges, said Taurel, there will be a "new wave of medicine that will make most of the things we do today seem low tech" in comparison -- with better treatment for diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes and life-saving products reaching patients faster. "It just might be the beginning of a better world than we've ever known."