The coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel the globe with the medical research community continuing its unrelenting search for that elusive vaccine which can tame the COVID-19 virus. There are currently 145 vaccines under development and 21 in clinical trials. Typically, vaccines take several years to research and develop. Therefore, the announcement of various governments to develop a vaccine within a matter of months is quite ambitious. On May 15, the US government announced ‘Operation Warp Speed’ that will deliver a safe and effective vaccine for Americans by January 2021. A letter from the Director-General – ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) was construed as indicative of the ICMR pushing research staff for the launch of a vaccine for public use by August 15 / Independence Day.
Many medical experts have raised doubts about these targets. There are many ethical issues surrounding the vaccine right from the research and development phase. The research for the coronavirus vaccine involves fetal cell lines that have been extracted from human fetuses. Then comes the issue on which section of the population will the clinical trials be carried on. Finally, who will get priority in receiving the vaccine once it is launched and how much will the vaccine cost.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), various governmental and private research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, the government, lawmakers and the public are all stakeholders in the battle against corona. The media has an important role to play in keeping disseminating information from/to the stakeholders and questioning them as and when required.
GLOBAL ARMS RACE
CNBC’s Chloe Taylor, quoting a report from the New York-based geopolitical risk firm – Eurasia Group, says: “Countries rich and poor will engage in aggressive procurement efforts with significant political, economic and public health implications. Existing international institutions and agreements will struggle to minimise this ‘vaccine nationalism’. In the U.S., the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) has been spreading its investments across a number of vaccine candidates in an effort to reduce the financial risks for pharmaceutical firms and lock in priority access to a successful vaccine.”
Other media reports reporting on the elusive coronavirus vaccine suggest that a ‘global arms race’ has begun with the main players being the US, Europe and China. There is cooperation at certain levels but each player is trying to pip the post first as it will allow the winner to give priority to its people as well as capitalise on the economic and geopolitical impact. It is thus no longer an issue of scientific recognition, patents and revenues but a matter of urgent national security.
Another interesting development on the vaccine development front for Covid-19 has been the global realisation about biotechnology being a strategic industry for nation-states. Naturally, this has led to countries striving to be ‘Atma-Nirbhar’ (self-reliant) on the question of manufacturing drugs just as they aspire to reduce their dependency on other nations for defence equipment and cyber-security.
It may be recalled that the supply of hydroxychloroquine became a huge issue in both India and America when President Trump phoned up and called Prime Minister Modi a day after India banned the export of hydroxychloroquine, a drug considered a game-changer against Covid-19. India promptly blinked first as Trump threatened retaliation if India does not release stocks of the highly sought hydroxychloroquine. Dependency on other countries for basic drugs and medicines is a political hot potato.
INDEPENDENCE DAY DIRECTIVE
In India, one of the projects underway to come out with the coveted vaccine is by Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL). The project is backed by the ICMR and NIV (National Institute of Virology). It is reported that BBIL set a timeline of July 13 as the date of the first enrolment for trial participants and a subsequent period of 15 months for the trial to be completed.
This timescale was submitted by BBIL to the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI). However, the DG – ICMR shot off a letter on 2 July to BBIL saying: “This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed in India and is one of the top projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the government. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-Cov-2 isolated by the ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse.”
The criticism and backlash that ICMR received after this letter was leaked prompted it to issue a clarification. As PTI reports that ICMR spokesperson Nivedita Gupta said: “Please don’t read something which is not there in DG, ICMR’s letter. The intent of the letter is only to expedite duly approved clinical trials without compromising on security and safety concerns. We want the vaccine to be developed as fast as possible. The aim of the letter was to ask sites to fast track it. We have the candidate and it should not happen that we miss the bus. We need the vaccine today. If we go into conventional methods to develop the vaccine and bring it out after two years then there is no use of it. So the entire restlessness in the government and ICMR is to fast track the vaccine development to make it available as soon as possible for citizens. The spirit behind the letter was this only.”
GLOBAL COOPERATION, NOT COMPETITION
The one single lesson that the global political leadership should have learned from the corona pandemic was that humanity is one global community. You cannot isolate yourself from the problems of the world. In a prize-winning essay for the Carnegie Council, Michael Wallace writes: “Increased nationalism often leads to increased nativism, a trend which devastates global trade networks and hinders the economic development of all nations. In our modern, globalized world, trade between nations represents the lifeblood of the international community. Exports and imports bind countries to one another, fostering cooperation and encouraging peaceful rather than antagonistic interactions. But increased nationalism and increased nativism – lend credence to the misconception that nations can economically succeed independently of the international community. The simple truth is exactly the opposite: economic isolationism only serves to hinder the nations it purports to help.”
Islam has laid out the foundations of global cooperation by emphasising the shared lineage of all humanity. Originating from the same parents implies we are all brothers and sisters even though our place of birth, our language and our physical characteristics are different. What more proof is required to seal the concept of ‘one humanity’ than the fact that the anti-corona vaccine, whenever it is prepared cannot claim that its efficacy is nation-specific. For example, a Chinese vaccine can never claim it heals only the Chinese. True progress on global cooperation and unity can be celebrated if we start seeing labels of “made in planet earth” instead of made in India, China, etc.