.Moderna tried to extract a huge price for its #COVID -19 #vaccine from the South African government at the height of the pandemic, according to the local NGO Health Justice Initiative - HJI, in revelations made public this week.

✍ Kerry Cullinan
healthpolicy-watch.news/modernas-attem…

Comments accepted until July 22! Make your voice heard!

Professor Arti Rai on march-in rights.

Interesting to see South African government officials citing the WHA transparency resolution to advocate against secrecy during their negotiations with Pfizer.

International norms can either deprive or empower government officials with more leverage to protect public interests.

Today we join Health Justice Initiative - HJI in report showing Moderna & Pfizer wielded unprecedented power in COVID-19 negotiations w South Africa. The SA govt tried to include transparency, supply commitment, etc to realize its obligations under SA and Intl law. Was blocked by monopoly power

Breaking:⏰📢

'Groundbreaking Access to Documents Show Pharma Giants Bullied SA in Covid-19 Vaccine Negotiations'

Records & Analysis “The Negotiations, One Sided-Part 2’’ with Public Citizen O'Neill Institute is publicly available at:
healthjusticeinitiative.org.za/pandemic-trans…

The People's Vaccine

Documents: New pandemic deal texts circulated ahead of Fridayʼs deadline pro.politico.eu/news/179589

1. One way pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of medicines is by filing bogus patent listings.

Today FTC challenged over 300 junk patent listings, including for blockbuster weight-loss & type 2 diabetes drugs Ozempic and Victoza.

ftc.gov/news-events/ne…

The top 20 pharma companies by 2023 revenue fiercepharma.com/pharma/top-20-…

Inside Health Policy talked to Mark Cuban about the distribution of generic versions of Xtandi, if CMS allows generic manufacturers to the federal government's 35 USC 202(c)(4) royalty free right in the patents for federal programs.

New law and policy portal with library of laws launched by ⁦World Health Organization (WHO)⁩ ⁦O'Neill Institute⁩ to advance implementation of the Global health and care workers compact who.int/news/item/04-0…

Thiru on the status of #INB9 .

WTO has failed. It took years. But now eminently clear that the WTO is not capable of responding during a pandemic, securing rapid sharing of technology & global production of medical countermeasures.
Knowledge sharing/IP issue must shift to World Health Organization (WHO).
theguardian.com/global-develop…

There have been recent calls for World Health Organization (WHO) to declare Climate Change a Public Health Emergency of International Concern?

Is this legally possible?

My answer in Opinio Juris today:

opiniojuris.org/2024/02/05/pla…