A future vaccine must be free and available to all, NGOs call

A future vaccine must be free and available to all, NGOs call
© Belga

Since the start of the pandemic, some 70 vaccines have been developed by university laboratories and private companies around the world, with five of them currently in clinical stage.

In a please prior to the world assembly that the World Health Organization (WHO) will hold Monday, several Belgian association unite calling for the future vaccine be available to everyone and not protected by a patent offering a monopoly to any one pharmaceutical group.

The associations emphasize that research and development of vaccines by pharmaceutical companies are partially funded by private and public investments.

"On May 4, the EU raised 7.4 billion euros through a global donor fund-raising. The Belgian government has invested 20 million euros to speed up research. It is therefore only logical that these collective effort will benefit the public and the common good," they say.

"If agreements are not reached on the price and availability of a Covid-19 vaccine, there is a danger that the will of governments and the health of the population will not weigh against the interests of the pharmaceutical industry," the organisations fear.

The signatory associations are Sol Soc ONG, Street Workers Network, WSM, Le Monde des Femmes, Handicap International - Humanity & Inclusion, 11.11.11, FGTB-ABVV, CM, Médecins du Monde, Oxfam in België, FOS, CNCD-11.11. 11 and Mutual Aid & Fraternity.

The Brussels Times


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