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Governments and philanthropic institutions are investing BILLIONS in research and development for #COVID19 vaccines.
How can we ensure that these vaccines will truly be available and accessible to everyone?
Here are six important recommendations by @MSF_access:
How can we ensure that these vaccines will truly be available and accessible to everyone?
Here are six important recommendations by @MSF_access:
1. Strings attached: any funds given to pharmaceutical companies must have strings attached.
A lot of public money is being given to them almost unconditionally. All of this public investment HAS to be attached to conditions that benefit people.
A lot of public money is being given to them almost unconditionally. All of this public investment HAS to be attached to conditions that benefit people.
2. At-cost pricing: to guarantee that people can access these vaccines, governments and institutions must demand that pharmaceutical companies commit to selling any potential future COVID-19 vaccines at cost.
3. Transparency: we MUST demand that pharmaceutical companies are transparent about their spending and about how much public money they have received.
We are all paying for these costs through our taxes. We deserve to know how this money is being used.
We are all paying for these costs through our taxes. We deserve to know how this money is being used.
4. Technology sharing: we need technologies to be shared through open and global licenses.
If we continue with a logic of exclusivity, where only a few companies control these essential technologies, there is a high risk that too few vaccines will be produced to go around.
If we continue with a logic of exclusivity, where only a few companies control these essential technologies, there is a high risk that too few vaccines will be produced to go around.
5. Equity: vaccine distribution must not be limited by economic or political interests.
COVAX is a mechanism created to ensure that vaccines reach all countries. For it to work, it needs to promote transparency, low prices, technology sharing and civil society participation.
COVAX is a mechanism created to ensure that vaccines reach all countries. For it to work, it needs to promote transparency, low prices, technology sharing and civil society participation.
6. Global public goods: future #COVID19vaccines cannot be treated as a simple commodity.
For these vaccines to be truly global public goods, they cannot be subject to monopolies created by patents and other forms of intellectual property rights.
For these vaccines to be truly global public goods, they cannot be subject to monopolies created by patents and other forms of intellectual property rights.
Now, more than ever, we need to affirm that health is not a commodity and that our collective scientific knowledge is not private property. https://msfaccess.org/no-patents-pandemic
This pandemic cannot become a race for profit at the expense of millions of lives! https://twitter.com/MSF_access/status/1328654470646026240?s=20
