NOS has asked the pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna for a response. AstraZeneca and Moderna have not responded.
Pfizer says it is committed to working towards equitable and affordable access to coronavirus vaccines for people around the world, a spokesperson said. “We rely on multiple avenues to find the fastest and most effective ways to get vaccines to countries of all economic levels around the world.” The company expects “a significant increase” in shipments through the end of the year.
Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson both believe that the intellectual property on the vaccines should not be released. “The arbitrary and general release of patents related to corona vaccines is not the solution to faster production of these vaccines,” said a spokesperson for the Janssen vaccine manufacturer. “On the contrary, the rapid arrival of multiple inexperienced manufacturers and production sites, unable to produce at a sufficient scale, would further strain existing supply chains and potentially undermine consumer safety.”
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