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> Moderna created its vaccine in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and received $1.7 billion in federal grant money for clinical development.
by semiquaver 3y ago
> Moderna created its vaccine in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and received $1.7 billion in federal grant money for clinical development.
Is the vaccine subject to any patents or other restrictions that would prevent a generic version? If so, why is this allowed when its development was largely paid for by the public?
- mrguyorama 3y agoBeing sold to pharma and insurance companies is the one thing that Democrats and Republicans agree on.
- ksey3 3y agoCuz the majority want to emulate the same behavior. Dont underestimate how mentally bankrupt everyone is.
- twoodfin 3y ago"Clinical development" != "development". Given their existing platform, developing the vaccine itself took weeks and a fraction of that cost. Clinical development means solving manufacturing and distribution issues, running trials, ... once you have a promising candidate vaccine in hand. It was extremely fortunate, as it turns out, that somebody had previously invested the megadollars to build that platform in hopes that it would turn out to be useful. It was a modestly risky bet, lots of biotech VC cash ends up being set on fire. Nobody will invest in the next Moderna if they believe the Feds will effectively nationalize their investment if it turns out to be valuable/"essential" enough.