Everyone must benefit from a future coronavirus vaccine - not just the rich.

A vaccine for half the world's population could cost less than the biggest pharmaceutical companies earn in four months.

It is essential that a coronavirus vaccine is distributed equally across the world, but rich countries and large pharmaceutical companies may prevent or delay the vaccine from reaching people living in vulnerable situations, especially in low-income countries.

There is a high risk that rich countries will outbid low-income countries and be first in line when a vaccine is produced, just as they have done with other essential medical supplies such as personal protective equipment and oxygen.

"Anything other than ensuring that a vaccine is made available to everyone at no cost is obscene. Vaccines, tests and treatment should not be auctioned off to the highest bidder."

Johan Pettersson, Secretary General of Oxfam Sweden

Many low-income countries do not have access to essential vaccines and medicines because of patent laws that give pharmaceutical companies a monopoly and the power to set prices they cannot afford to pay. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children under five, killing 2,000 children every day. For over a decade, millions of children have lacked access to the patented pneumonia vaccine produced by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline because of its high price. After years of campaigning by Médecins Sans Frontières, both companies reduced their prices in 2016, but only in the poorest countries, leaving millions of children without the vaccine.

Oxfam proposes a global plan that calls for:
- All COVID-19-related knowledge, data, and intellectual property to be shared, and treatments and vaccines to be patent-free and accessible to all.
- Vaccine production should not be limited to rich countries. Instead, factories should be built in countries willing to share and invest in the millions of additional health workers needed for prevention and care both now and in the future.
- A global agreement on equitable distribution based on need, not ability to pay. Vaccines, treatment and tests should be produced and delivered at the lowest possible cost to governments and authorities, ideally no more than $2 per dose for a vaccine that is then given free to all who need it.
- A better system for research and development of new medicine. The current system puts pharmaceutical companies ahead of human health, meaning that medicines that are not profitable are never developed and those that are produced are too often too expensive for low-income countries and people living in poverty.