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Sant calls out Big Pharma on COVID vaccine, says patent rights should be abolished
Labour MEP Alfred Sant says current COVID-19 vaccination strategy dominated by a small group of sellers would not work in the long run
27 February 2021, 9:01am
Laura Calleja
Laura Calleja
1 min read
Labour MEP Alfred Sant
Labour MEP Alfred Sant has called for the abolition of patent rights on the COVID-19 vaccine so that mass production on a global level could begin.
During a plenary debate in the European Parliament on the state of play of the EU’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy Sant said that an oligopoly in global manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines was not working and would not work in the future.
Sant said that hundreds of thousands, indeed millions, of lives were at stake.
In an earlier session, Sant also questioned the implementation of the EU global strategy on COVID-19 vaccinations and said that many questions remain over the transparency of the whole deployment process of vaccines. “Millions have died. Millions ended up prisoners in their homes. Businesses and jobs have been lost. Globally, many companies are able and ready to master the know-how and participate in the production and provision of vaccine doses.”
Pharmaceutical companies have been competing hard to achieve fast research and production breakthroughs and then to obtain regulatory approval for their vaccine against the virus.
“We needed this race to happen in order to acquire swift control over the pandemic. So now that we have reached the production stage for the vaccines that have been created, it is incredible that world governments remain apparently tied to a business as a usual approach regarding the production and delivery of vaccines,” Sant said.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Laura Calleja is features editor at MaltaToday
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