All Campaigns subcategories:
Anti-war keywords:
War
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: Coronavirus - War - Capitalism - Socialist - Profit - Health - Covid - US - Pfizer - Pharmaceutical
Coronavirus
Capitalism's 'vaccine war' shows need for socialist cooperation
Poorer nations in Africa and Asia will face a struggle to obtain vaccines (Click to enlarge)
Jon Dale, secretary, Unite union Nottinghamshire Health branch
Covid-19 can travel round the world at jet speed. No one can feel secure without global action. Yet despite gushing words from government leaders about international cooperation on research and development, a 'vaccine war' is developing.
Rich capitalist countries are desperate to get their economies and profits flowing again. Governments are making 'public-private partnerships' with pharmaceutical corporations. Deals are being made to buy up vaccine stocks before they have even been developed, tested and manufactured.
The losers in this vaccine auction will be working-class and poor people in poorer countries.
Four different types of vaccine are being researched in many centres around the world. Any of these - alone or in combination - may turn out to be successful. Billions of dollars, euros, yen and pounds of public money are being invested.
Welcoming this, the chief executive of Gavi, the public-private alliance to distribute vaccines in poor nations, had to admit: "But... you end up with unnecessary competition, shortages of supplies and a failure to optimise a pipeline that should make the best vaccines available at scale as quickly as possible."
Some corporations, like US company Johnson and Johnson, say they will sell the Covid-19 vaccine without profit. It can certainly afford to! Its 2019 sales were $82 billion. It spent $11 billion on research and development, paid $2 billion tax and made over $15 billion profit.
As well as a Covid-19 vaccine, Johnson and Johnson's cancer treatments, medical devices and all other essential products should be sold without profit! But this requires public ownership and democratic workers' control.
Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech will sell their Covid-19 vaccine to the US government at an estimated $19.50 per dose, leaving the companies with a "decent margin" of 60% to 80% profit, according to one US banking analyst.
"I think at the end of the day, what we'll see is everybody is going to recoup their costs and make some profit," said a former associate commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. "I suspect they are all saying different things that mean the same thing."
Even if sold to less-developed countries at $10 a dose, mass vaccination would be unaffordable to many. Bangladesh spent $94 per person on health care in 2017. Only the wealthy few could be sure of vaccination. Countries also need good public health systems with health workers, logistics and transport to get vaccines where they are needed.
Bayer's chief executive in 2013, Marijn Dekkers, cynically let the cat out of the bag. Referring to its cancer treatment Nexamar costing $65,000 a year, he said: "We did not develop this medicine for Indians. We developed it for Western patients who can afford it."
A YouGov opinion poll showed 96% of people in the UK want national governments to work together, ensuring treatments and vaccines can be manufactured in as many countries as possible and distributed globally to everyone who needs them.
A vaccine manufacturer's official told the Financial Times: "In the future, we need a better system." It's needed now! A socialist system of public ownership, democratic planning and international cooperation would meet everyone's needs.
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999