Hi John,
The race for a new vaccine to treat coronavirus is well underway, and human trials have already begun. But with public money being channeled into research and development around the world, it’s vital that we act now to make sure that if and when a vaccine is available, everyone who needs it can get it.
Just on Wednesday, US pharma giant Gilead was granted a new 7-year patent on an existing medicine that could be used to treat coronavirus, meaning they could make bumper profits. After an outcry, they’ve now backed down – but it shows what we can expect. We need to make clear that any profiteering from this global health emergency is not acceptable.
Will you sign our petition to the government asking them to ensure that any Covid-19 vaccine is made affordable for everyone, everywhere?
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Since we launched our campaign last week there has been progress in developing a possible vaccine in the US, and the first human trials have started there. This progress has been backed by public money, and it’s a familiar scenario. Nearly every coronavirus candidate being developed around the world involves some level of public investment. Here in the UK, the government has put £40 million into efforts to develop a vaccine.
But the way our pharmaceutical system works means the world will currently rely on private companies to manufacture a vaccine, once it has been discovered. Big pharmaceutical companies take over the development of treatments at later, less risky stages, meaning they can hold patents on a vaccine and try and name their price. A pharmaceutical system that encourages this behaviour in the face of a public health crisis is a system that isn’t fit for purpose. It’s what allows leaders like Donald Trump to offer "large sums of money" to obtain exclusive rights over a potential Covid-19 vaccine from a German company "but for the US only”.
Can you help ensure a vaccine for Covid-19 reaches everyone, not just those who are able to afford it?
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The pharmaceutical system is not fit for purpose – our government must step in
Big pharmaceutical companies have notoriously shied away from investing in diseases that don’t bring in big profits. It happened with the Ebola epidemic in 2014-16 and had a deadly impact. The absence of profit for the vaccine meant that a breakthrough was left on the shelf with no further investment to test or produce the vaccine. So when the epidemic broke out there was no vaccine available. A vaccine was made available just last year, but again it was public investment that plugged the gap when pharmaceutical companies lost interest.
And just this week, US pharma giant Gilead requested another seven years of exclusive patents over an existing drug, remdesivir, that could treat Covid-19. This would mean no other company, or government, could come in and produce the drug to make it cheaper for citizens if they needed to. It was only because of public outrage that Gilead has reportedly backed off from claiming a massive monopoly in a time of crisis.
As the race for a vaccine continues, we need to make sure that at its finishing line is a treatment that’s affordable and fairly accessible for everyone who needs it, in every country. It’s clear that we cannot rely on big pharma to do that.
In the coming months, we are likely to see countries in the global south struggle to absorb the shock of this health crisis. Without global solidarity from richer countries pushing to ensure any Covid-19 vaccine goes to those who need it, many countries may be priced out.
Please sign the petition to make sure our government intervenes now and puts conditions on public funding to ensure that it’s public health not pharma profits that are prioritised when a vaccine is made available.
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Thank you for your support,
Radhika Patel
Campaigner at Global Justice Now
PS. Don't forget we’re hosting an online event tomorrow, Coronavirus, Capitalism and Global Inequality. Register now if you haven't already.
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MORE INFO
[1] Trump administration tried to buy coronavirus vaccine ‘only for the US’, report says, The Independent, 16 March 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-vaccine-trump-us-cases-germany-carevac-a9403646.html
[2] Trump's attempt to buy a coronavirus vaccine shows why big pharma needs to change, The Guardian, 16 March 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/16/trump-coronavirus-vaccine-big-pharma-president-drugs-industry-profit
[3] Coronavirus treatment developed by Gilead Sciences granted "rare disease" status, potentially limiting affordability, The Intercept, 24 March 2020, https://theintercept.com/2020/03/23/gilead-sciences-coronavirus-treatment-orphan-drug-status/
[4] Gilead Withdraws Request for Special Orphan Status on Experimental Virus Treatment, New York Times, 25 March 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/health/gilead-coronavirus-orphan-drug.html
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