Jeremy Farrar: Make vaccine available to other countries as soon as our most vulnerable people have received it

Abstract

The SAGE adviser and Wellcome Trust director tells Mun-Keat Looi how the UK government acted too slowly against the pandemic, about the perils of vaccine nationalism, and why he is bullish about controlling covid variants

Covid-19: Where are we on vaccines and variants?

“…Equitable access has been a major concern during the pandemic, with many healthcare leaders warning that vaccine nationalism would allow the virus to continue thriving and lead to even more worrying variants 3536…”

Covid-19, trust, and Wellcome: how charity’s pharma investments overlap with its research efforts

“…In addition to its work through WHO, Wellcome also influences the pandemic response through Farrar’s position on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies advising the UK government on covid-19, as well as his board seat on the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a leading public-private partnership in the pandemic that has pledged more than $1bn to covid-19 vaccine development 8. He also features frequently as an expert in the news media, including The BMJ , where he has cited the potential of specific drugs against covid-19 910. These advisory and media activities seem to overlap with Wellcome’s £28bn endowment, which has at least £1.25bn invested in companies working on covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics: Roche, Novartis, Abbott, Siemens, Johnson & Johnson, and—through its holdings in the investment company Berkshire Hathaway—Merck, AbbVie, Biogen, and Teva 11…”

Vaccine nationalism and internationalism: perspectives of COVID-19 vaccine trial participants in the United Kingdom

“…Many recognise that the control of the pandemic relies on the management of the disease in all countries: ‘The world won’t be safe while any single country is still fighting the virus’. 1 Vaccines are widely thought to be at the forefront of a solution to the global pandemic. Governments around the world must try to provide enough vaccines for their populations at a time when the consequences of their actions and inactions have rarely been so swiftly and starkly demonstrated than in case and mortality figures.…”

“…Commentators have argued that vaccines should be made widely available globally once vulnerable populations in HICs are protected. 1 23 24 Public opinion is also mostly aligned.…”