>The incentive would seem to depend only on cost, and any vaccine developer would know that Gilead can likely lower cost at will, making it impossible to recoup

>The incentive would seem to depend only on cost, and any vaccine developer would know that Gilead can likely lower cost at will, making it impossible to recoup vaccine development costs. This is a good argument that some drugs should be developed by state grants or bounties and the patent is in the state. Something similar delivered covid vaccines in record time - in the form of massive pre purchase agreements.