500 signatures reached
To: President Trump, Secretary Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Congress
NO exclusive licenses (monopoly power) to make a coronavirus vaccine or treatment!
We ask that you NOT provide an exclusive license to any private manufacturer for a coronavirus vaccine or treatment which would result in expensive medicine and put precious lives at risk. When the world is increasingly at risk for pandemics that threaten public health, and treatments must be developed quickly and made affordable and accessible to the public, no single company should have control over the development and pricing of a coronavirus vaccine.
Why is this important?
With flu season still in full swing—and an estimated 10,000 deaths in the U.S. so far this season (seriously, get your flu shot)—news of the new coronavirus outbreak is also causing concern. Reports indicating a possibility of a future pandemic make it clear that we need a strong response from our elected officials.
The National Institutes of Health—which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—have already invested nearly $700 million of taxpayer money in coronavirus vaccine research. Public, taxpayer dollars have led the way in developing treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus, but President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Azar are considering giving pharmaceutical corporations monopolies to sell them at whatever price maximizes profits.
Research and investment in treatments and vaccines funded with public dollars should not be handed over to private corporations with no guardrails, so they can price gouge patients and rake in profits.