Right now every country in the world is scrambling to get enough medical supplies to deal with the coronavirus crisis
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Hi John,
Right now every country in the world is scrambling to get enough medical supplies to deal with the coronavirus crisis. And the companies that make the things that every country needs – from masks to testing kits to potential treatments – are looking to maximise their profits.
The World Health Organization is trying its best, but there’s almost no global plan to produce everything that's needed, and distribute it to those who need it most. A new proposal from the government of Costa Rica could change all that. The Central American country has proposed a ‘global pool’ for Covid-19 treatments, vaccines and equipment to encourage co-operation in the face of this pandemic.
Already, the Dutch government has come out in favour. And next Sunday, health ministers from the G20 group of major economies could discuss it at their virtual meeting. The UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, is due to participate.
Can you send an urgent message now to our health secretary’s office to ask the UK to back Costa Rica’s plan?
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This crisis is really showing up the limitations of relying on big corporations to safeguard our health. From protective equipment like masks to treatments for Covid-19, the things that every country needs right now, are patented exclusively to certain companies. Exclusive patents create monopolies in essential health items, that can prevent other manufacturers from scaling up supply and producing cheaper alternatives in an emergency.
For decades, these exclusive patents that have allowed big pharma to name their price and charge extortionate prices for essential drugs. It’s what allows leaders like Donald Trump to offer “large sums of money” for exclusive rights over a potential Covid-19 vaccine “for the US only”.
Rather than locking up crucial health equipment, treatments and vaccines for corporate profiteering, we need to open up access to all Covid-19 treatments, vaccines and tests. That’s why the global call initiated by Costa Rica could be a game-changer.
We’re asking our government to ensure that tests, treatments and any future Covid-19 vaccines reach everyone and are affordable for all countries. The Director General of the World Health Organization has already backed the proposal to ask companies to donate their exclusive patents for products that are needed to deal with Covid-19 to a shared pool, accessible for all.
Sharing access to products, know-how and research around the world would speed up innovation, remove monopolies and allow greater volumes of production to help meet the demand required by the world.
Will you send a message to our health secretary, Matt Hancock, and ask him to publicly support the Covid-19 pool proposal which would allow the most people to access what is needed to stem this pandemic?
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In the last few weeks, public outrage has forced big pharma giant Gilead into backtracking on a new monopoly over a potential treatment for the virus. And people have put debt cancellation on the radar of G20 leaders so that lower-income countries can scale up their health budgets. As Covid-19 continues to expose the vast inequalities of a system that prioritises profit over need, people everywhere are standing up to fight for global solutions to a global pandemic, putting solidarity not the market first.
Setting up a global mechanism to break monopolies and establish universal access to all the health products we need to tackle Covid-19, would be another step in the right direction. The UK government is already the biggest public contributor to finding a Covid-19 vaccine, having invested £250 million. But it’s vital that any vaccine or knowledge acquired from this investment is shared with those who need it. A global mechanism to pool our knowledge, resources, technology and products would mean that all countries would benefit.
The governments of Costa Rica and the Netherlands are already backing the proposal. But it needs more support from member states of the World Health Organization before their big annual decision making meeting in May. At next week’s G20 health ministers meeting is an important moment ahead of that.
Will you ask the UK government to publicly support this proposal and push for solidarity at a time when we all need to band together?
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Thank you for supporting this campaign,
Radhika Patel
Campaigner at Global Justice Now
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