Currently there are 3-4 major vaccines being administered throughout the world, due to their patenting from the scientists and companies that created them. This includes Pfizer, Moderna, and of course Johnson & Johnson. But although 4 vaccines for one illness seems like a lot, when the world is in need of mass vaccination, it seems to have fallen short. Because of this, scientists are creating replicants, and one group in Canada has successfully created a cheaper version of Johnson & Johnson. This is important in that this could help the distribution of vaccines in places where they have had very limited access, such as Bolivia. The trouble arises when the newer and cheaper vaccines aren’t able to be shipped to Bolivia because of the patent Johnson & Johnson has on their vaccine. What Bolivia is looking for (as are many citizens of Canada) is an exception to the patent in the name of vaccine safety and worldwide health. If passed, this vaccine could save many lives in Bolivia and help reduce the spread of the disease in the country overall.
With an average drug or invention on an average day, I would agree that we have patents for a reason. But when we weigh in the consequences of not using this life saving drug during a global pandemic, in a country with an average of a 4% vaccination rate, I think they’re too great to ignore. This is (in my opinion) a classic case of what is morally right vs. what is logically right. But in the end, I do think that Canada will chose to move forward with the drug, and send it to Bolivia (although this in itself will take awhile). Because Canada has such a lengthy history with healthcare rights and affordable access to lifesaving medicine, it seems natural that they would then chose to extend that policy into other countries when offered the chance. There’s also the worry that if they did this, though, pharmaceutical companies would ‘run afoul’. I think while it’s true that their could be major push back, the consequences of not doing it outweigh the consequences of doing it.
Thoughts of an international waiver have begun to take place, to the Agreement of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (or TRIPS). If instated, this waiver would make it easier for countries all over the globe to manufacture vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic in a state of emergency. Canada, however, has not yet seen a great enough incentive to voice their thoughts on the waiver, and it remains unseen as to if they will do so in the near future. To a Universalist, I think the answer is clear. If there are moral standards that apply to everyone, then it is in everyone’s best interest to save lives. But clearly, Canada has not taken a Universalist stance quite yet.