media releases

“Our Government is leaving poorer countries without sufficient vaccines and ignoring the fact that COVID-19 is a global crisis, not a country problem,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society. “This lack of concern by our government about COVID-19 in poorer countries is a disaster waiting to happen. Mutations are already occurring with the risk of more virulent and resistant variants emerging, especially in countries where infection rates are high. These dangerous strains could spread to us and the rest of the world. This virus does not respect borders or wealth.” said Dr Woodruff.

“We are hoping that we can keep up with these variants with our fancy evolving vaccine technology. But we don’t know if we can. It could be that in two years we will all be back in lockdown with closed borders and an ongoing struggling economy.  The vaccine you have today may be useless tomorrow.”

“Pharmaceutical companies make vaccines. They own them,” said Dr Woodruff. “Poorer nations can’t afford them and they are not permitted to make copies themselves because of worldwide intellectual property (IP) agreements which are like patents. By the end of 2021, if they haven’t been blindsided by new vaccine-resistant strains, rich nations will be approaching herd immunity with about 80% of the population vaccinated. The trouble is that poorer nations will probably have no more than 20% vaccinated, despite the Quad initiative. Mutated variants can then reach rich countries. The pandemic would continue. ”

 “What can we do?” asked Dr Woodruff. “Instead of hoarding extra doses of vaccine (Australia has arranged to have about 5 doses per person available; the US 10 doses), the Federal Government could firstly urge governments around the world to demand that the World Trade Organisation temporarily waiver the IP agreements so that poorer countries can ramp up their own production or use generics made in other countries. This is what India and South Africa have already proposed. Secondly the Government could fund poorer nations to set up the production facilities in their own countries.”

“Sadly our Government’s current approach is to reject this proposal on patents. By doing so it is saying that private profits are more important than controlling the pandemic.”

When Jonas Salk, the inventor of the Salk vaccine for polio, was asked “Who owns the patent?” he was reputed to say “Well, the people I’d say. There is no patent. Can you patent the sun?”

“Big Pharma hasn’t changed,” said Dr Woodruff.  “But our Government has a choice. It can risk a further economic and medical disaster in our own country and condemn millions of people in poorer countries to a preventable death or, it can take a world view which will also benefit us in the long term.

“Mr Prime Minister, please lead the way. Mr Albanese, please push for what is economically sensible and morally correct.”