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Illustrative photo of vaccines. Photo: Archive
A vaccine against the dangerous coronavirus is likely to emerge in a few months. But which country will get it first, will it be enough for everyone, or will it only be available to those who pay higher prices?
Scientists say it will take about 18 months to create a safe coronavirus vaccine. And what happens after she appears? Which country will receive it first? And will it be accessible to everyone?
“For a situation like the current one, there are no international rules that guarantee a fair distribution of a new vaccine,” health expert Ilona Kickbush told Deutsche Welle.
At the moment, distribution is determined by market demand and supply. “This poses the risk that the vaccines will primarily target Western Europe, Canada, Japan, and the United States, as they may pay higher prices.” This is a constantly observed problem with regard to medicines, “says economist Prof. Jurgen Wazem.
What is not profitable is not put into production
Certain vaccines and drugs have not been created due to a lack of financial incentives; for example, Ebola was prepared, but it was not put into production because it was evident that it would not be profitable.
However, Professor Vazem believes that the participation of private companies in vaccine development is beneficial because it creates competition that can lead to success. “Creating a new vaccine is too expensive and risky,” he said.
The future coronavirus vaccine currently relies primarily on four major manufacturers and many smaller biotech companies. The most promising projects are from China, the United States, and Germany. There are around 80 developments in the world for the new vaccine.
Everything should not be left to market forces.
But at the international level, not everything should be left on the market; As of today, many are concerned that the prices of the new vaccine may be too high and that the quantities are not sufficient. This is why several different countries, the EU and the Bill Gates Foundation plan to raise and provide WHO with more than eight billion euros to finance the World Agency for Vaccines and Medicines. This agency could distribute vaccines in all countries.
But it is not yet clear how exactly this distribution will work. Nor will the United States be involved in creating a thoughtful global agency. States are known to have their own agency, BARDA. However, it does oblige companies to manufacture in the United States.
In ongoing work to create a coronavirus vaccine, the US agency VARDA has partnered with European pharmaceutical giant Sanofi. However, the primary objective of this cooperation is supposed to be to provide medications to the United States first.
Europe also pursues a similar goal. German Health Minister Jens Span stressed the importance of producing the vaccine in Europe: “This is the only way we can trust the security of supply,” he said.
The poorest will receive it in the end
It is clear that in the face of such a race, those who will receive a good price will receive sufficient quantities of the new vaccine first. Not to buy it only from the USA. USA And the Europeans, the American philanthropist Bill Gates, proposes to open production in developing countries. Otherwise, it is clear that the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America will receive it last.
Past practice has demonstrated the validity of such doubts: “Ten years ago, during the swine flu epidemic, wealthy countries bought all available vaccines,” says Ilona Kickbush.
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