The U.K. government “failed people” in lower-income countries by not requiring drug companies to distribute vital COVID-19 treatments developed with £1.5 billion (about $1.8 billion) of public money, a highly critical new report argues.
The firms were able to “limit supply and charge high prices” because ministers did not impose “public interest conditions” — an approach described as “neo-colonial” by the campaign groups STOPAIDS and Just Treatment.
Their report finds high-income nations then bought up diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics at high monopoly prices, while low- and middle-income countries were starved of the treatments when the pandemic struck.
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About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
