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The government has just announed new deals to get preferential access to two potential #COVID19 vaccines. With countless lives & billions 
at stake - we desperately need more transparency on these agreements. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53469269
at stake - we desperately need more transparency on these agreements. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53469269
Almost all #COVID vaccines have benefited from taxpayer funding - some have been almost entirely bankrolled by the public. Deals are now handing control of these public projects to the private sector. Is this the best option for the pandemic response?
The answer depends (in part) on the terms of the deals.
What price do we pay now?
Some deals have included promises not to profit during the pandemic. But one of these new deals is with @pfizer who have been clear they want to profit from the pandemic https://pharmaintelligence.informa.com/resources/product-content/pfizer-ceo-bourla-wants-profit-from-covid-19-vaccine
What price do we pay now?Some deals have included promises not to profit during the pandemic. But one of these new deals is with @pfizer who have been clear they want to profit from the pandemic https://pharmaintelligence.informa.com/resources/product-content/pfizer-ceo-bourla-wants-profit-from-covid-19-vaccine
What price do we pay once the pandemic is over?A deal that gives us a few months at a lower price but then makes the NHS pay big pharma monopoly pricing for a vaccine we might need millions of doses of annually, for years to come is a pretty weak deal.
But pharma are REALLY keen to say now’s not the time to talk about pricing. They pretend it’s because all focus should be on the pandemic
But that’s
- they don’t want to talk about it because NOW is the time for govts to secure long term price control https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/oxford-vaccine-trial-coronavirus-volunteer-astrazeneca_uk_5f102290c5b619afc3fd8de3
But that’s
- they don’t want to talk about it because NOW is the time for govts to secure long term price control https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/oxford-vaccine-trial-coronavirus-volunteer-astrazeneca_uk_5f102290c5b619afc3fd8de3
So transparency on these deals is vital. But it alone is not enough. The UK approach is accelerating an arms race for access to vaccines that will harm everyone.
This is an unprecedented global crisis. We desperately need collaboration & coordination to prevent pharma monopolies
This is an unprecedented global crisis. We desperately need collaboration & coordination to prevent pharma monopolies
We need UK support for the @WHO COVID Technology Pool so everyone gets access to research, know how & intellectual property so effective tools get scaled up:
Quickly
Equitably
Affordably
Otherwise pharma profits will threaten the global response https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/covid-19-technology-access-pool
Quickly Equitably AffordablyOtherwise pharma profits will threaten the global response https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/covid-19-technology-access-pool
