Fuck. Fuck. This is bad. Fuck.
Big Pharma is moving to profit off of coronavirus.
Right before our fucking eyes.
But! We can stop them.
Short thread:
1. Two days ago, the NY Times reports *great* news. An Oxford research group is making real progress towards a vaccine.
Big Pharma is moving to profit off of coronavirus.
Right before our fucking eyes.
But! We can stop them.
Short thread:
1. Two days ago, the NY Times reports *great* news. An Oxford research group is making real progress towards a vaccine.
I won't get into the science, but the point is the Oxford group has a vaccine candidate that they already know is safe on humans AND works on monkeys.
Like, they gave 6 monkeys the vaccine, then exposed the monkeys to a ton of coronavirus, and 0 out of 6 developed COVID!
Like, they gave 6 monkeys the vaccine, then exposed the monkeys to a ton of coronavirus, and 0 out of 6 developed COVID!
And, because already have good safety data in humans, they can move into large-scale human studies right now.
And if it works in humans, it's a HUGE deal, right? It's what we need to get out of this massive global depression, and it would save literally millions of lives.
And if it works in humans, it's a HUGE deal, right? It's what we need to get out of this massive global depression, and it would save literally millions of lives.
The director of the Oxford research group is this quirky looking dude with a good sense of humor who has dedicated his whole 40-year career to this work.
He says, boy, if this works, everyone is gonna get it.
And it's gonna be really affordable!
He says, boy, if this works, everyone is gonna get it.
And it's gonna be really affordable!
“I personally don’t believe that in a time of pandemic there should be exclusive licenses,” Professor Hill said. “So we are asking a lot of them. Nobody is going to make a lot of money off this. "
ok, I'm too stoned and it is too late to do this story justice. I'll write it up tomorrow.
but suffice to say, within 48 hours Big Pharma grabbed a world wide exclusive license. Here's their press release.
astrazeneca.com/media-centre/p…
but suffice to say, within 48 hours Big Pharma grabbed a world wide exclusive license. Here's their press release.
astrazeneca.com/media-centre/p…
Theyre taking publicly funded research and turning into private profit.
Using words like "nonprofit" and "middle income countries" to try to hide the corruption.
I'll dive into the details tomorrow.
Using words like "nonprofit" and "middle income countries" to try to hide the corruption.
I'll dive into the details tomorrow.
I'm gonna listen to some music and go to sleep, but maybe @akapczynski or @gregggonsalves can unpack it for us in the morning.
It's really quite a story. But the fight is just getting started.
cc: @uaem @jenniferflynn @lizjaff @BeAHeroTeam @CPDAction @Public_Citizen @ewarren
It's really quite a story. But the fight is just getting started.
cc: @uaem @jenniferflynn @lizjaff @BeAHeroTeam @CPDAction @Public_Citizen @ewarren
