Browsing by Subject "Coronavirus"

During the COVID-19 pandemic many previously unsolved and uncertain legal situations appeared. Generally, when a new medicine or vaccine is developed the process is long and tedious. Private investors stand for most of the funding, with governments primarily funding basic discovery research. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, it was determined that the governments needed to take a more active role than before. There was an urgent need to tackle the challenges and health issues that arose, and governments involved themselves heavily in the research and development of COVID-19 vaccinations. Suddenly, the bulk of the financing for the vaccines came from governments, not from private investors. With this changed dynamic came questions about allocation of results and right to commercialisation, distribution, and profits. Despite the substantial public funding behind the pharmaceuticals research and development of COVID-19 vaccines, the companies reaped all the benefits. The co-operation between governments and pharmaceutical companies also essentially removed the typical industrial risks associated with vaccine development since the usual risks for scientific failures and manufacturing risks were taken care of by the substantial public funding. Furthermore, questions regarding the patent protection of COVID-19 vaccines arose. Does the monopoly position and exclusivity that the pharmaceutical companies got after developing vaccines contrast the public goal of distribution of vaccines worldwide and high vaccination rates? This thesis aims to answer these questions and clarify the legislations surrounding them.