There is a really interesting debate happening right now about whether COVID vaccines should have their patents lifted, to allow more production. It is estimated that the current vaccine production is only utilizing 43% of the world’s total vaccine production capabilities. Problematically, only 4% of doses are being administered in the global south (mainly in India), while rich countries continue to buy and hoard vaccine doses for their own citizens, sometimes buying 3x as many vaccines as they need. While it is easy sitting in Canada to feel like this is someone else’s problem, the reality is that the longer huge swaths of the global population go unvaccinated, the longer the pandemic will drag on. While I don’t always agree with big pharma’s ability to profit off the drugs, I understand the economic rationale for having patents in the pharmaceutical business. However, in this case, I think ending a global pandemic and saving lives outweigh any economic rationals.
Communications Law