Resources

As coronavirus rips through the world, the race is on to find a vaccine for Covid-19. There are already reports of promising candidates as well the start of human trials. And this progress is largely thanks to public investment in biomedical research and development (R&D). But there is a real danger that, without effective safeguards, big pharmaceutical firms could profiteer from price gouging which would prevent widespread access to coronavirus treatments and threaten the world’s ability to stop the spread of this pandemic.

This briefing is for Global Justice Now local groups and activists to help you to lobby your MP on alternatives to the current corporate-dominated pharmaceutical system.

This briefing for MPs and parliamentarians documents examples of where publicly funded research and development has led to drugs that the public have found difficult to access. It calls for conditions to be attached to public research to ensure drugs are affordable for all patients.