Today I published a timeline on the collaboration between Sanofi and the U.S. Army regarding the development of a vaccine for the Zika virus.
One major issue that we have raised is on the price of the Zika Vaccine. KEI and other groups have asked the Army to ensure that Sanofi does not charge U.S. taxpayers a higher price than in other high-income countries. This is not a remote concern. Recently, we published a blog showing that Sanofi charges Americans four to eight times more for its MS drug Aubagio (teriflunomide) compared to other high-income countries. If Sanofi refuses to agree to a reasonable pricing provision, then we know that Sanofi wants to keep open the option of charging the United States the highest price in the world for a drug funded by American taxpayers.
The timeline provides the dates of several key events, such as the filing of patent applications, the dates of the Army/Sanofi CRADA and grants from BARDA, the signing of the Principles of Collaboration with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the publication of Federal Register notices on the intent of the Army to grant exclusive licenses on patents, responses by patient and public interest groups, the New York Times op-ed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and the response by Dr. Elias Zerhouni on behalf of Sanofi, and the letter from members of the House of Representatives.
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For quite a more detail on this issue, see /zika.
2016 January: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) begins development of a vaccine candidate for Zika virus, based on its work in developing vaccines “against other flaviviruses, such as yellow fever, dengue and Japanese encephalitis.”
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Today, KEI received a letter from the U.S. Army dated April 21, 2017, signed by Barry M. Datlof, in which the Army largely rejected concerns raised in comments submitted by KEI and various other public interest groups related to the proposed grant of an exclusive license to the French drug company Sanofi on a U.S. Army-invented vaccine for Zika virus.
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On March 21, 2017, the New York Times published a letter signed by Dr. Elias Zerhouni, defending the proposed Sanofi monopoly on the US Army patents to the Zika virus. The letter is available from the NYT from the following link, and also reprinted here, followed by commentary.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/opinion/developing-a-zika-vaccine.html
To the Editor:
Re “Trump Should Avoid a Bad Zika Deal” (Op-Ed, March 11):
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On March 10, 2017, KEI filed our 3rd set of comments with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC) on their proposed grant of an exclusive license on Zika virus vaccine patents to the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
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KNOWLEDGE ECOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 JANUARY 2017
CONTACT: Zack Struver, zack.struver@keionline.org, +1 (202) 332-2670
Groups Object to Army Proposal to Give Sanofi a Monopoly on Patents for Taxpayer-Funded Zika Vaccine
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December 21, 2016 — KEI has filed comments with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) on the proposed grant of an exclusive license to Sanofi on patents on a vaccine for Zika Virus.
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DHHS has declared a public health emergency over the Zika virus, and authorized emergency use of diagnostic tests. (Copy here)
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