Profit before lives: Global Vaccine Summit 2nd June
UK approach to COVID19 vaccine risks provoking an arms race that benefits big pharma more than NHS patients
Press Release
Today, Thursday June 4th, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hosting a Global Coronavirus Vaccine Summit to generate funds to support the work of GAVI. But an NHS patient campaign group is warning the UK approach to developing a vaccine risks undermining the global coronavirus response by handing too much power and money to the pharmaceutical industry.
Just Treatment Lead Organiser Diarmaid McDonald said:
“It is great that the UK is leading this effort to fund the important work of GAVI, but just last week the World Health Organisation launched a global initiative to ensure big pharma monopolies don’t result in high prices and supply constraints that block access to COVID vaccines and treatments. Sadly the UK didn’t attend.
Instead of supporting this collaborative effort the UK and the US are doing secretive deals with pharmaceutical companies, handing them tens of millions of pounds and total control over vaccines developed with UK taxpayer funds in exchange for preferential access. This hands too much power to the companies and risks sparking competition between countries for vaccine supplies that could put the NHS at the back of the queue if the most effective vaccine comes from somewhere else in the world.”
The government has invested hundreds of millions of pounds to support the development of promising COVID vaccines. But last month AstraZeneca announced they’d signed an agreement giving them control over a vaccine candidate developed with public funds by Oxford University. The deal gives the pharmaceutical company the power to decide the price and who gets access to the vaccine if it is proven to be effective, even though they have admitted that all their costs are being covered by governments, including the UK.
In return AstraZeneca have made vague promises to deliver fair access, but the terms of the agreement remain secret. For example, they committed to pricing at a not-for-profit rate during the pandemic, but there is no details on this will be verified, or what happens to the price once the pandemic is over - a critical issue for the NHS which may have to buy millions of doses of any vaccine annually for years to come.
McDonald, added:
“The UK should be really proud of its role in developing what might be life-saving, world changing tools. But we risk failing to do the most important bit - ensuring they get them to everyone who needs them at a fair price. We need to be reassured that the government is putting the interests of NHS patients before pharmaceutical company profits. The first step in doing that is to publish the deal with AstraZeneca, and then they need to go further and pledge to oppose monopolies on COVID19 medicines and join the World Health Organisation’s COVID Technology Pool.”
ENDS
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