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The fight against COVID-19: let’s make public investments count for people

by | Mar 24, 2020 | News

On 25th March 2020, 62 organisations including patients, consumers, healthcare professionals, trade unions and public interest organisations published a letter to express our views on the importance of the role of public support to research and development during the current pandemic. 

Since January, the European Commission and national governments have mobilised millions of Euros to promote research on COVID-19. We believe that an effective response requires that all these necessary medical tools are free of charge at the point of delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations.

 

We strongly recommend that the EU institutions and national governments incorporate collective, pro-public safeguards, such as transparency regarding public contributions, accessibility and affordability clauses and non-exclusive licences for exploitation of end-result products, in current and future funding calls and investments. These measures will eventually ensure the vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus reach those who need them and save numerous lives.

 

Download the full letter

 
– Read also the letter by the a cross-party group of 33 Members of the European Parliament to the European Commission to make COVID-19 tools affordable and available –

 

Supporting organisations

  1. Access to Medicines Ireland
  2. Action against AIDS Germany
  3. AIDES, France
  4. AIDS Action Europe
  5. Aidsfonds
  6. Alliance for Cancer Prevention UK
  7. Altroconsumo, Italy
  8. Armenian Women For Health and Healthy Environment NGO
  9. Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), Access to Medicines Task Force
  10. AURORA Universities Network
  11. Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA)
  12. Center for international Environmental Law (CIEL)
  13. Commons Network (CN)
  14. Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
  15. CurbingCorruption
  16. Dying for a Cure
  17. Ecologistas en Acción, Spain
  18. EKPIZO, Greece
  19. Epilepsie France
  20. European Academy of Paediatrics
  21. European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)
  22. European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines
  23. European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP)
  24. European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
  25. European Institute of Women’s Health
  26. European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)
  27. France Assos Santé, France
  28. Global Health Advocates (GHA)
  29. Groupe sida Genève, Switzerland
  30. Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos (GAT), Portugal
  31. Health Action International (HAI)
  32. International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM)
  33. Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (IQWiG), Germany
  34. Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Italy
  35. Just Treatment
  36. La Ligue contre le cancer, FRANCE
  37. Médecins du Monde
  38. MSF Access Campaign
  39. NoGracias, Spain
  40. Observatoire de la transparence dans les politiques du médicament (OTMeds)
  41. Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU), Spain
  42. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe
  43. Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation
  44. PRAKSIS, Greece
  45. Prescrire
  46. Public Eye, Switzerland
  47. Réseau DES, France
  48. Réseau Environnement Santé
  49. Romanian Association Against AIDS (ARAS)
  50. Salud por Derecho, Spain
  51. Sciences Citoyennes
  52. SOMO – Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations
  53. Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME)
  54. STOPAIDS
  55. T1International
  56. Test Aankoop/Test Achats, Belgium
  57. Transnational Institute
  58. Transparency International Health Initiative
  59. TranspariMED
  60. UFC-Que Choisir, France
  61. Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) Europe
  62. Wemos