January 14, 2022
Cited article by William Roberts, Al Jazeera
HRRC celebrates the development of an inexpensive Covid-19 vaccine made available to the entire world. This newly created vaccine will allow for cheaper global distribution to developing nations who lack resources, which will help address the global health crisis we are all facing.
Article Summary
Two doctors with the Texas Children's Hospital have developed a Covid-19 vaccine bypassing strict patent requirements, which will allow countries all over the globe to produce the vaccine and distribute it inexpensively. The doctors, Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez, used more traditional vaccine methods rather than the newer mRNA technology. The mRNA vaccine method used by large pharmaceutical companies makes it extremely difficult for lower income countries to produce and store. Both the traditional vaccine methodology and the lack of a patent on the intellectual property will allow the vaccine, Corbevax, to be produced and distributed globally.
The major Covid vaccine producers, primarily Pfizer and Moderna, have protections in place for intellectual rights to their vaccines. These protections make it challenging for lower income regions to obtain the vaccine, especially with priority given to wealthier countries. Prioritizing wealthier nations in vaccine distribution is an example of modern colonialism, which continues to keep developing countries reliant on the wealthier regions of the world.