Vaccines only work if people can access them

Yesterday’s announcement that a COVID vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is - according to interim trial data - 90% effective is welcome news that all of us have been waiting for. It will undoubtedly bring a feeling of hope to millions across the world.

However, it’s important to recognise that this evidence is being shared very early on in the process, and in a corporate press release written by Pfizer themselves - not in a peer reviewed journal. This is not normal, and has been advised against by the WHO. We have huge unanswered questions about the effects on different patients - such as the elderly or those at risk due to existing illness - and how it impacts rates of transmission and death. So wild celebrations should be put on hold.

Even if subsequent evidence backs this finding up, the major obstacle will be ensuring global access to the vaccine for everyone who needs it. If this is left solely in the hands of big pharma, it could have grave consequences for all of us.

At present, Pfizer’s monopoly on this product stands as a significant obstacle - with their CEO committed to profiting from the COVID crisis. Some analysts have said Pfizer could make up to 80% profit margins on this vaccine. If they can get away with it, it’s inevitable that Pfizer will look to set high prices for the vaccine, which could put it out of reach for many health systems across the world. Added to this, supplies are likely to be a fraction of what is needed to actually bring the pandemic to an end.

This profit seeking behaviour in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic is unacceptable - and will put the lives and livelihoods of millions at risk. This is particularly jarring because Pfizer’s partner on this, BioNTech - the pharma company behind this vaccine - has received hundreds of millions in public funding that underpin the development of this product. It would be indefensible for public access to this vaccine to be denied or restricted because of big pharma’s relentless quest to rake in enormous profits.

Corporate greed should never be put above the people’s health. Pfizer and BioNTech must openly share the intellectual property, data and other know-how for his vaccine, so that all quality-assured manufacturers can produce it, and in doing so maximise vaccine access across the globe and hasten the end of this pandemic. If they don’t, governments should step in to break their dangerous monopoly control.