People sick from the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in the Europe, Africa, the Philippines and the rest of Asia, gasping and struggling to recover in a hospital bed, will have to struggle harder to survive. This is because the only drug known to help patients recover quicker, Remdesivir, is unavailable.
The United States (US) has bought up the entire available supply of the drug and it is only available to Americans suffering from Covid-19. Donald Trump, the US president, in order to cover up his criminal neglect in stopping the spread of the pandemic and boost his re-election bid, has deprived others of a fair share of the available drug manufactured by the American company, Gilead Sciences of California.
The entire supply of Remdesivir, half a million doses, has been cornered by Trump. That is the entire production of Gilead until September 2020.
This manipulation and fast grabbing of the drug for a selfish monopoly over vital medicines has severe, deadly consequences for the future when a vaccine becomes available. The US will attempt to buy all available vaccines for Americans and deprive other nations of a fair share.
In May this year, the French vaccine company, Sanofi, said the US would get the first supply if ever it makes a successful vaccine since it took the risk and invested in the company. This infuriated the French government and Sanofi said it would share the vaccine if it succeeds to make it.
Remdesivir is an innovator drug under patent by Gilead so no other company can make it no matter how many people will have to suffer longer to recover form Covid-19. To recover, a patient needs six doses of Remdesivir and that costs US$3,200 ($24,800).
So Gilead profits from human suffering and most people, who are without expensive health insurance, could not afford it anyway. It’s a medicine for the rich. All this is happening while the pandemic is rocketing out of control. As of July 9, 132,309 have died in the US and more than three million are infected.
Trump has yet benefited again his close friends in the pharmaceutical industry. Retired executives have big jobs in his administration. They helped to get him elected by donating huge sums of money from the Big Pharma corporations to his political campaigns.
Another successful drug found to help patients is the steroid, dexamethasone. Trump can’t grab the world supply because it is 60 years old and manufactured as a generic drug and is low cost everywhere. Remdesivir is also made by drug companies in India and Bangladesh as they do not recognise the 20-year patent rights of Gilead Sciences. However, reports say, stocks are very low and it is only available on the black market at hugely inflated prices. So it is in developing countries where brand named patented medicines are challenged by generic drugs.
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Yet not all medicines have low cost generic counterparts.
In a World Health Organisation (WHO)-funded research project in the Philippines, an Ateneo group found that the prices of medications are so expensive that a government worker could not afford them. That’s enough to cause depression.
The Ateneo study said, “Some standard treatments are very unaffordable to the lowest paid government worker. In the private sector, a month’s treatment of depression with innovator brand Fluoxetine costs the lowest paid government worker 49 days’ wages! The treatment of a peptic ulcer costs 8.5 days wages when innovator brands are prescribed or dispensed, and still costs three days’ wages if generics are used.”
Since that study, costs of medicines have greatly increased.
In a shocking finding, the study said the price gouging profit mark-up was massive. “Wholesale and retail mark-ups can reach 65 per cent and 50 per cent respectively. Using these maximum figures, if mark-ups were removed, the cumulative mark-up would decrease from 273 per cent to 51 per cent. If wholesale and retail mark-ups were halved, the cumulative mark-up would decrease to 150 per cent. Similarly, if medicines were exempt from import tariffs (3.84 per cent), national corporate taxes (5.7 per cent) and VAT (12 per cent), the maximum cumulative mark-up would decrease by 69 per cent, from 273 per cent to 204 per cent.
Tax exemptions for medicines and the regulation of mark-ups should therefore be examined as possible policy options for reducing medicine prices,” the study said in conclusion.
Many of these drugs are imported from the United States and the costs are beyond the reach of the poor. When they need to take a seven to 10-day course of antibiotics, they can’t afford it and stop after about three days which allows the bacteria to develop immunity to the antibiotic. Many die as a result.
The multinational pharmaceutical corporations are truly like dangerous monsters in that they prey on the sickness and weakness of many people. In fact, they have been shown to have created addictions to sell billions of dollars’ worth of opiate drugs and recruited unethical doctors to prescribe them.
In October 2019, four US pharmaceutical companies were to stand trial in Ohio for causing an opioid drug epidemic with their narcotic painkillers by claiming the drugs were safe. They faced allegations of conspiracy to multiply the number of patients addicted to prescribed drugs.
At the last minute, they capitulated, admitted responsibility and paid out US$260 million ($2.01 billion) in the first round of compensation payments for causing addiction, suffering and death of 400,000 people in the past 20 years in parts of Ohio. As much as US$50 billion ($387 billion) is being claimed for wanton conspiracy. Other drug companies are facing similar claims.
Also Walgreens, Walmart and CVS, and other pharmacy chains did not agree to a settlement and will face a separate trial.
The multinational drug companies have to be controlled by strict laws everywhere to save life, protect the people and nurture health and not destroy it. Taxes on life saving medications must be removed and governments should bring in universal health care, fund it and strictly control the bidding and purchase of drugs. The duty of government is to preserve the life and well being of the people, not to allow corrupt corporations and politicians to subvert it.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
shaycullen@gmail.com
