Health officials are concerned that countries around the world may nationalize medical supplies and drugs in response to the coronavirus pandemic, STAT reported.
The concerns follow an allegation that the Trump administration tried to gain exclusive rights to produce an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by CureVac, a company based in Germany that also has operations in the U.S.
A U.S. official denied the allegation, according to STAT.
Further raising concerns, Germany earlier this month banned the export of some personal protective equipment, and India blocked exports of 26 drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The U.S. has a history of attempting to nationalize supplies during public health emergencies, according to STAT. During the 1976 swine flu scare, President Gerald Ford declared there would be a vaccine for every man, woman and child in the U.S. When Canada placed an order for supplies with U.S. manufacturers, shipments were blocked by the U.S. government, STAT reported.
"We have to absolutely focus now on equity and access. We cannot have a situation where people who need the drug don’t get it, and people who don’t need the drug do,” Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies program, told STAT.
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