It is unarguable that accessing or developing a vaccine against the novel Coronavirus is necessary for us to fully combat it, and make a recovery. However, whilst this is a vested global interest, could its clashes with profit and other economic motivations endanger universal access to it?
Many countries are in the later stages of developing an effective vaccine, with pharmaceutical companies in the USA and Thailand already set to begin human trials. However, a success of a vaccine lies in not only its potency, but its accessibility for millions of individuals. This blog will consider the likely situation of the development of a Covid vaccine, and the barrier that could prevent us from ever accessing it.
Patents and Intellectual Property
According to the World Trade Organisation, patents and intellectual property serve a purpose of promoting goods and services innovation, by disallowing replicas of products and their certain designs. However, this also implies that should a pharmaceutical company arrive at a vaccine formula, all rights to produce and sell this vaccine lie with the company for a limited amount of time.
Patents not only present an obstacle to a hypothetical vaccine - they are often used as leverage for big pharmaceutical companies to set unreasonably high price levels for essential medicine. Cancer drugs, HIV/AIDS medication, etc. all combat life threatening diseases, but are not affordable and cannot be replicated by other companies. Critics fear that if in the wrong hands, a Covid 19 vaccine could be used as a profit scheme, rather than a humanitarian benefit.
Lack of clarity on government funding
Nearly all governments have provided some sort of financial support to vaccine researchers and groups. Yet, there is a growing lack of clarity on whether these governments will be able to invest enough in providing this vaccine to the population. The Covid 19 has already placed a large economic strain on countries, and it is unclear if the government will even be able to consider funding vaccine schemes. However, growing civil unrest has placed the pressure on many governments to divert more funding into vaccine research.
Government funding is also necessary to make immunisation campaigns affordable and widespread - especially for adults, as they have the lowest take ups for vaccinations. The government is also entitled to promote this vaccine - either by force or otherwise. For example, the growing anti-vax movement may render the effects of the vaccine useless, and awareness needs to become a priority for governments.
The Affordability
Should the obstacles of patents and government funding be overcome, there still remains one large obstacle to acquiring a vaccine - its affordability. A country can do little to manage pharmaceutical companies - apart from lobbying and subsidies.
Poorer and impoverished countries and communities are often hit the hardest by a pandemic, and do not have the purchasing power to acquire these vaccines. Critics fear that expensive vaccines aren’t only an economic concern - they will delay the total combat and eradication of the virus..
If the above paragraphs worry you, fear not. Communities and countries alike have been pushing for less patent regulation in the World Health Organisation, and several countries have already set price controls on any future vaccine. Prominent protests and strikes have caused countries to begin to implement interventionist policies, and harsher control over pharmaceutical companies.
Yet, the Covid 19 and any hypothetical vaccine present to us how important and fundamental the government is in protecting its civilians, as well as how when economic and health concerns clash, poorer communities are often the victims.
For more information: https://globalcoalitiononaging.com/2020/06/02/the-barrier-to-a-covid-19-vaccine-wont-just-be-science-it-will-also-be-behaviour/
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