Macron urges equal access for vaccine
Emmanuel Macronwaded into a rowwith Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical giant, yesterday after it said the United Stateswould be first in line for any coronavirus vaccine it developed. The French president insisted that any vaccine ‘‘must be considered a global public good that remains above the laws of the market’’, however much money the US has thrown into development. Paul Hudson, Sanofi’s chief executive, sparked the controversy after announcing that US patientswould get first choice because their governmentwas helping to fund the vaccine search. ‘‘The US government has the right to the largest preorder because it’s invested in taking the risk,’’
Hudson said. ‘‘That’s howitwill be because they’ve invested to try and protect their population, to restart their economy.’’ That drewcomplaints from officials and health experts, who pointed out that the Paris-based multinational had benefited from tens of millions of euros in research credits from the French state in recent years. ‘‘Equal access to this vaccine for all is not negotiable,’’ said Edouard Philippe, the prime minister, on Twitter. Olivier Bogillot, Sanofi’s chief in France, later sought to play down his boss’s comments, saying: ‘‘The goal is to have this vaccine available to the US as well as France and Europe at the same time.’’ Some 140 former and current world leaders and health experts yesterday said the vaccine should be made available ‘‘for all people, in all countries, free of charge’’.