According to her, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Novavax prefer trading to rich countries over fair distribution.
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“Vaccination around the world is our only way out of this crisis,” said AI Secretary General Agnès Callamard. “At this time, as heroes, we should celebrate companies that invented vaccines so quickly. Instead, by deliberately blocking knowledge sharing and acting in favor of richer nations, large pharmaceutical companies have created a completely predictable and utterly devastating shortage of vaccines for many others, to their shame and to our collective grief, ”Callamard said.
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The organization said in a report that it reviewed each company’s human rights policy, vaccine prices, intellectual property records, knowledge and technology sharing, fair allocation of available benefits, and transparency. It found that each of the six companies did not meet their human rights obligations to varying degrees.
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“Of the 5.76 billion benefits filed worldwide, a paltry 0.3 percent went to low-income countries and more than 79 percent to middle-income and high-income countries,” the report said. According to AI, less than one percent of the population is vaccinated in low-income countries, while over 55 percent in rich countries. In poorer countries, health professionals are often not fully vaccinated, the organization added.
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Some of the companies evaluated continued to supply countries known to accumulate vaccines despite calls to prioritize cooperation with the COVAX program, AI said in a report. In addition, according to the organization, they refused to support international initiatives for knowledge and technology sharing.
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“Today there are 100 days left until the end of the year. We call on states and pharmaceutical companies to drastically change course and do whatever it takes to deliver two billion vaccines to low-income countries. No one should spend another year in suffering and fear, “Callamard said.
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