Since its emergence in 2019, the coronavirus outbreak has swept the world, infecting people in every country and spreading fear and uncertainty. The pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease, with wide political, financial and social impacts.
The world’s hope to end the pandemic rests with the development, manufacture and distribution of effective vaccines and therapeutics. Everyone must have access if we are to end this global public health emergency. The vaccines and therapeutics that are developed will need to be affordable, available to all and free to those receiving it.
In Canada and around the world, a significant amount of medical research is government-funded, with much of it taking place in universities. The findings are then sold to private companies with no obligation to use the resulting medical innovations (AKA “intellectual property”) for any purpose other than profit. This has resulted in highly-priced medicines, often unaffordable to those needing them the most.
GRAN is supporting campaigns initiated by Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) and Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to put public health above private profits, so that vaccines, tests and treatments developed with taxpayer money will be sustainably priced, accessible to everyone, and free at the point of delivery.
To learn more about GRAN’s work on COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing and Treatments and to familiarize yourself with ongoing multi-lateral international efforts (and associated acronyms!) please check out our Resources section below.
