Why we can and must SHARE vaccines globally

While it may feel like the end of the pandemic in wealthy countries, the world’s middle-income and poor regions are still not in the clear—which means none of us are. How do we ensure everyone around the world who needs a vaccine can get one? BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath asks several experts on today’s episode of the I am BIO Podcast.

“The first thing that means is the countries that have excess supply…need to start sharing vaccine globally to protect the most vulnerable,” says Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global vaccine procurement initiative. 

“We actually have surplus of vaccine supply here in the U.S. and many of the companies would like to be able to share those vaccines with other countries,” explains Joe Damond, BIO’s Deputy Chief of Policy and Chief of International Affairs.

Easier said than done—due to U.S. and global trade restrictions, supply chain bottlenecks, and a need for more funding for COVAX.

BIO has proposed a solution:COVID Global Strategy for Harnessing Access Reaching Everyone (SHARE) Program, which would ensure vaccine supply and access as well as strengthen and support health care systems in low- and middle-income countries addressing COVID.

But hours after BIO sent the proposal to President Biden,the administration announced support for the TRIPS waiver, which would suspend IP protections for COVID-19 vaccines. 

IP rights “have not been the problem,” continues Damond. Companies “have already concluded over 250 partnerships with other manufacturers around the world, so there is a lot of technology sharing already going on.” 

And it could hurt future R&D: “The problem is, if you cancel out the IP on one medicine, you may call it an extreme circumstance. But it makes investors call into question the IP protection of all others,” says biotech investor Brad Loncar. 

Listen to the whole thing at www.bio.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, and Spotify. 

More Health Care News: 

The New York Times: COVAX will receive 200 million doses, a deal that could boost the campaign to vaccinate world’s poor
“Gavi, the public-private health partnership co-leading COVAX, will purchase the doses at a discounted price from Johnson & Johnson.”

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President Biden’s pledge to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 is “an admirable and ambitious undertaking” –but “we’ll never get there by government action alone,” writes BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath in STAT. What should we do?

“We have to science our way out of it,” she writes—and ensure the biosciences and biotechnology “play a pivotal role.”

“[T]he biotech industry’s green initiatives could mitigate the equivalent of 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year by 2030, or about half of the country’s annual CO2 emissions.”

Read: BIO's Biotech Solutions for Climate Report 

Take global food production—which accounts for ¼ of GHG emissions. “[E]ven if all other fossil fuel emissions were eliminated, emissions from food production alone would prevent us from reaching a key goal of the climate change agreement signed in Paris: preventing the global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius,” explains Dr. Michelle.

Biotech offers solutions—such as reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers, making disease-resistant crops, and even developing biodegradable packaging, and sustainable fuel for supply chains.

The bottom line: “Human progress and technology got us into this mess,” concludes Dr. Michelle. “That same ingenuity can help get us out.” 

Read the whole thing.

More Agriculture and Environment News:

Fast Company: Tory Burch and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna are teaming up to help women scientists
They’ve launched “the Tory Burch Fellowship at the Innovative Genomics Institute, a one-year program to support a female founder leading a business in genomics.” 

The New York Times: The latest coronavirus comes from dogs
“A newly identified coronavirus may not pose a serious threat, but the finding highlights the need to monitor animal viruses more proactively, scientists say.”

President Biden’s Monday: Receiving a briefing on the Atlantic hurricane outlook and preparedness measures. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Two hearings in the House to note: Financial Services will discuss SPACs, direct listings, public offerings, and the need for investor protections (12 PM ET), and Natural Resources will look at a bill on expanding renewable energy on public lands (1 PM ET).