STAT: Global investors must support pharma solidarity and collaboration in response to COVID-19

There is a prospect of having the first supplies of at least a few effective COVID-19 medicines and vaccines by the end of 2020. Yet, many experts are questioning whether current research and manufacturing efforts can deliver these medical breakthroughs as quickly as they are being promised.

This piece written for STAT First Opinion represents a strong call for global investors to encourage all governments and pharmaceutical companies to avoid a competitive race based on medical nationalism in the world's response to COVID-19.

Companies are urged to undertake practical steps to accelerate R&D efforts and overcome potential barriers to rapid and widespread access, including sharing manufacturing capacity, agreeing to non-exclusive voluntary licensing and working with the ACT-Accelerator and the COVAX Facility. 

A strong united global response to COVID-19 can represent the first step for the investment community to better understand and manage the systemic risks of pandemic preparedness and drug-resistant infections. 

By Sacha Sadan, Director of Investment Stewardship for Legal & General Investment Management; Yo Takatsuki, Head of ESG Research and Active Ownership for AXA Investment Managers; and Damiano de Felice, Director of Strategy for the Access to Medicine Foundation.

Read the full op-ed article in STAT First Opinion.