![]() Financial support from the German government and other public sources contributed more than $700 million to BioNTech’s development of a COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer. Public taxpayer money through the US government provided Moderna with nearly $10 billion, covering almost the entire cost of clinical development of the mRNA vaccine it produces and the purchase of 500 million doses. ![]() In the likely scenario that the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate into new variants of concern, geographically distributed access to mRNA vaccine technology is crucial in allowing rapid vaccine adaptation and a response that meets local needs. ![]() As of today, not a single dose of these vaccines is being manufactured by companies in low- and middle-income countries. MSF has identified seven manufacturers in Africa alone that could start mRNA vaccine production within months if Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shared the vaccine technology and know-how. “Luckily, Moderna’s and Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine technology is well-suited for quickly responding to viral variants, if needed.” “As we face ever-evolving variants, and other new viruses that may emerge, mRNA vaccines offer a major lifesaving advantage-if only Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech would share the technology with the rest of the world,” said Alain Alsalhani, vaccines and special projects pharmacist at MSF’s Access Campaign. This is even more critical with the news of another worrying COVID-19 virus variant, omicron, since the mRNA vaccine platform allows for fast modification of vaccines against new variants and relatively short production times. Sharing the technology and know-how could boost global vaccine production and supply in a matter of months, supporting low- and middle-income countries to become self-sufficient in dealing with current and future pandemics-and save countless lives in the process. Since Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech aren’t actively sharing this information, the Biden administration should demand they do so.” There are additional companies across the world that stand ready to help boost the global supply if the mRNA recipe is shared. ![]() Despite what Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech want us to believe, we don’t have to rely on them alone for our vaccine supply. “The US government can't allow this inequity in access to vaccines to continue. “In one year, more than 8 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, but the percentage of vaccinated people in low-income countries remains in the single digits-including in many of the places MSF works,” said Mihir Mankad, senior global health advocacy and policy advisor at MSF-USA. The COVID-19 pandemic won’t be over for anyone until it’s over for everyone. Given the substantial US taxpayer funding provided to these companies-for development and advanced vaccine dose purchases- the Biden administration must use legal leverage afforded by the Defense Production Act and other laws to direct these companies to share vaccine information. ![]() MSF is calling on Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to share vaccine technology and know-how to help rapidly expand the global vaccine supply. NEW YORK/GENEVA, DECEMBER 8, 2021-One year since the first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was administered, only eight percent of people in low-income countries have received even one dose, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). As the omicron variant spreads, MSF calls on companies to immediately share lifesaving mRNA vaccine technology with manufacturers that stand ready to boost the global supply ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |