Theowl32
Diamond Member
- Dec 8, 2013
- 23,643
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- 2,415
May 5, 2020
By Annabelle Timsit
Geopolitics reporter
Even before it launched, however, the fundraising drive was controversial. First, EU officials allowed countries to pledge money that they had already spent on Covid-19 relief since Jan. 30, as opposed to counting only new funds as part of the recorded pledges. The Commission also hasn’t clarified on its website how much of the countries’ pledges are made up of new funds versus old ones.
Then, some civil society groups questioned how the EU would distribute the money raised. While $8 billion is a lot of money to pour into research, the EU has so far refused to impose price caps on pharmaceutical manufacturers, or force companies that receive public funds to give up their intellectual property—through mandatory licensing, for example, or less drastically, patent pools or cross-licensing—so that drugs and vaccines can be mass-produced cheaply.
And, while the guest list for this event was a who’s-who of global health governance, the US was noticeably absent, even though it is home to the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, many of which are now leading the race to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. The world’s biggest superpower, in essence, contributed less to this effort than Madonna.
www.kff.org
Don't worry. This will be ignored by American mass media and Trump will be blamed for not sending the EU and the WHO corrupt machine millions.
By Annabelle Timsit
Geopolitics reporter
Even before it launched, however, the fundraising drive was controversial. First, EU officials allowed countries to pledge money that they had already spent on Covid-19 relief since Jan. 30, as opposed to counting only new funds as part of the recorded pledges. The Commission also hasn’t clarified on its website how much of the countries’ pledges are made up of new funds versus old ones.
Then, some civil society groups questioned how the EU would distribute the money raised. While $8 billion is a lot of money to pour into research, the EU has so far refused to impose price caps on pharmaceutical manufacturers, or force companies that receive public funds to give up their intellectual property—through mandatory licensing, for example, or less drastically, patent pools or cross-licensing—so that drugs and vaccines can be mass-produced cheaply.
And, while the guest list for this event was a who’s-who of global health governance, the US was noticeably absent, even though it is home to the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, many of which are now leading the race to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. The world’s biggest superpower, in essence, contributed less to this effort than Madonna.
Global Health Policy - Research and Data from KFF
Research and data on Global Health Policy from KFF, the leading health policy organization in the U.S.
www.kff.org
Don't worry. This will be ignored by American mass media and Trump will be blamed for not sending the EU and the WHO corrupt machine millions.
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