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A long read regarding the pandemic in Manchester/Lancashire which is well written: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co...north-20233278
Looks like the USA are going to hit the target of offering a vaccine to all adults by July, they are giving a average 2.5 Mill jabs a day now ( they are aiming for 5 Mill per day ) If Trump got anything right, he got the ordering of the vaccines right, got in early, added " america 1st " to contracts, some of the bigger states are mid 20 % now, they will be back to normal life pretty soon
As did Johnson, and at the time of committing the recourse and millions early on there were no guarentees they would find a vaccine or roll it out this quick, he's certainly upset the vaccine and there dreadful organisation to the vaccine programme .Originally Posted by blue matt
Indeed, Boris has shown the EU that it didnt pay to dither on getting the orders in, the early bird and all that
All about greed and capitalism according to the sainted Johnson. I wonder how many of his apologists on here will have the nerve to read
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failures-St...ct_top?ie=UTF8
and whether it will change any minds?
You got your jab didn’t you Bob? No doubt many friends your age did too? I’m glad Boris got one thing right and ordered early. Surely it’s illegal for the EU to try and block a further delivery here, it’s not our fault they didn’t back it and order early.....a contract is a contract
Bloody capitalism eh?Indeed, Boris has shown the EU that it didnt pay to dither on getting the orders in, the early bird and all that
Indeed, Boris has shown the EU that it didnt pay to dither on getting the orders in, the early bird and all thatAt least part of the story is not about the early bird catching the worm. A global problem is on it's way to being solved in some countries via protectionism and America acting in bad faith.UK was smart to start funding vax research before #Covid19 even hit Europe. But they made a consequential choice by (apparently) making funding conditional to Brits getting doses of any resulting vaccine 1st. Germany
funded BioNTech but did not include any Europe 1st clause.
Meanwhile in March 2020, President Trump tried unsuccessfully to steal BioNTech from Germany to bring it to the US. Despite this warning, apparently nobody in EU thought it might be a bad idea for BioNTech to be partnered with Pfizer, an American company.
That Germany nationality-agnostic approach to pharma partners was not the approach used across the channel in UK. Oxford was originally going to partner with American company Merck. But the UK gov overruled it and made them partner with UK-based AstraZeneca.
With BioNTech-Pfizer partnership secure, Trump seemed to be in no hurry to sign Pfizer purchase contracts. Why? He knew a US vaccine export ban would make a contract unnecessary.
Pfizer has massive production capacity in the US. If US law prevented any of those doses made on US soil from being exported, they would have to go to the US in any event. The result can be seen in the supply chain. United States plants used to supply United States, European Union plants used to supply europe-africa.
Also in December 2020, the UK & US used the emergency use authorisation method to approve Pfizer, while the EU used the more cautious conditional marketing approval method, resulting in EU approving 2-3 weeks later. UK gave emergency use approval to AstraZeneca on 30 December.
When European Union gave conditional marketing approval to AstraZeneca on 29 Jan, the company informed EU it would not be meeting original dosage delivery promise because of production problems in EU plant. Seems doses to be reserved for European Union had gone to United Kingdom The battle between EU & AZ began
The Commission said AZ signed a contract saying it would use all 4 of its production facilities, 2 in UK and 2 in EU, to deliver to EU - so the shortfall should be made up with exports from the UK. AZ's CEO said they couldn't because of a 'UK 1st' clause.
That battle has raged on without resolution. AZ will only deliver 30m out of promised 80m for Q1 and 70m of promised 180m in Q2, EC says. Meanwhile EU has exported 10m (mostly Pfizer) doses to UK, while 'UK 1st' clause stops AZ from meeting EU delivery promise from UK plants.
Across the pond, the US export ban has meant Canada, Mexico& Japan have to get their Pfizer doses from EU plants instead. (European Union has exported 4.6m doses to Canada, 3.8m to Mexico, 4m to Japan) Situation particularly absurd for Flag of Canada, which must get its Pfizer from Belgium instead of next door in Michigan.
Even US has received vaccine exports from EU: 1 million in February, and 3.9 million doses of Johnson & Johnson a few weeks ago according to the NYT. J&J doses made in US can't go to EU.
These export numbers were revealed last week and Europeans were furious. In was in this context President Von Der Leyen said on Wednesday the EU is considering an export ban to vaccine-producing countries who don't reciprocate. Germany, France and Italy are pushing this idea.
EU assumed good behavior. US & UK manoeuvred to benefit themselves. Many EU countries flubbed vaccine rollouts. EU negotiations & approval maybe took too long. But what's striking is, for many in US & UK there seems to be 1 set of rules for them and another for everyone else.
https://twitter.com/DaveKeating/stat...97635577761803
The Pharmaceutical Industry is a global success story for capitalism. Drug manufacture is complex and depends on many industries pulling together..manufacturers of pharmaceutical quality glass, pharmaceutical quantity rubber stoppers and seals, excipient manufacturers etc. Once politicians interfere the thing can fall apart.
Dave Keating is right in many of his comments but he brushes over some important facts:
The UK signed a contract with AZ in English Law based on supply of fixed quantities of product. The EU contract was in Belgium Law and based on best efforts of each party. Second the EU wanted product manufactured within the block if facilities existed.
It's all come back to haunt them and they seem willing to disrupt legitimate supply to other countries in order to get supply. A sad tale for everyone
I am shocked at there behaviour though the holding back of the vaccine shipment in Italy on what moral ground can they do that ,this saves life's, this is both embarrassing and revealing of their nasty controlling side , the fact they were advising folk not to rush and take the Astazenca Vaccine over a certain age and now complain they cant get enough of it all a smokescreen to cloud the fact the fecked up , Merkel is in big trouble with all this as well .Indeed, Boris has shown the EU that it didnt pay to dither on getting the orders in, the early bird and all that
Think I read somewhere that Labour were keen to break the big pharma global control up
haven't there been something like twice as many deaths per capita here than in Germany?
yet some people seem to think Merkel is in trouble (how many times have we heard that over the years?) and Boris Johnson is doing a fantastic job?
If its such a failure why is have so many countries included ours included have had their made better, I can remember a time of awful personal hardships and have found that through the years it got better , I look at my children now and think gosh this is a better world ( I agree its far from perfect ) what would you have in its place .
Before capitalism the world was a very poor , war mongering death ridden place, many society's and lives have benefited from it In my humble view does it need reigning in ( yes ) .
The most successful Labour party in my time ( Blair )embraced it , perhaps Labour needs to do the same and create a new visionary shape it in its own to see if that appeals to the electorate as the last shout was abysmal.
I can't see old Joe Biden or China sweeping capitalism away anytime soon either .
I'm not sure that would be within the gift of a future Labour government - not unless you believe extreme globalist conspiracy theories. You don't do you?
Labour has certainly got a bag of potential policies for Big Pharma in the UK - although the main focus seems to be maintaining quality and price protection, and regulation, for the NHS through any UK-US trade deal.
Most of the international press provides free PR for Big Pharma - aided by a few loss leader decisions around 'at cost' Covid 19 vaccinations for developing countries. But Big Pharma is still all about profiting from public sector research, outrageous prices for prescription drugs (especially in the USA, but across the world), and promoting opioid addiction!
I don't think the book is a critique on capitalism more the response to the pandemic.
on capitalism, I heard an Economist on BBC world service the order day (I forget her name) saying some interesting things about capitalisms role in the biggest issues facing the world.
most notably the rapidly increasing inequality in many countries around the world that is almost always followed by unrest.
her solution was to try to get capitalism to work better for us, which surely most people can't disagree too much with?
In Germany before it was unified...In the west if short of bread they'd bake another loaf. In the East they'd cut the loaf into thinner slices
Is anyone saying they want to get to a situation like the former Eastern Germany?
You always see this kind of reductio ad absurdum made against anyone suggesting there might be any sort of weakness with unfettered capitalism.
Why not the other way around?
oh you don't like state interference - that means you don't want any state at all - a lawless anarchy like areas of Somalia controlled by pirates.
What are you talking about? I post a link to a book called “Failures of State, the inside story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus” while also mentioning that Johnson had remarked on the connection between the vaccine, greed and capitalism and you go off on one defending capitalism while finding a way to bring the Labour Party into it, again, - all this in a thread titled “Coronavirus update” ! Are you sure you replied to the right thread?
Fancy Bringing politics into the " Coronavirus update " thread
Just to give you some data on the price of prescription medicines, the UK has some of the lowest prices in the world... a few examples of commonly used prescription medicines: Atorvastatin 28 tabs £1.00, Amlodipine 28 tabs £1.00, Ramipril 28 caps £1.15. Big Pharma does not necessarily mean big prices
I was just at a loss as to how to understand how he arrived where he did from what I had posted - not for the first time, I was baffled by what he said.Fancy Bringing politics into the " Coronavirus update " thread
West Germany v East (as was) is a good example of successful capitalism compared to extreme socialism.
well done for missing my point entirely
That did make me smile.
You of course have never made any remark even remotely political in the 7400+ posts in this thread have you? No, of course not! I didn't think so. hehe:
Can you blame them ??
Its reported that after enduring months of baseless criticism and browbeating from the EU, AstraZeneca now reportedly regret selling their vaccine at cost price as a result of the reputational damage inflicted by European leaders, and wouldn’t replicate the strategy if another pandemic hits.
Speaking on the Today Programme, BBC medical editor Fergus Walsh claimed that multiple senior sources inside AstraZeneca said that in future, the company was unlikely to forego the profits enjoyed by the likes of Pfizer (set to make billions from its $19.50 jab, compared to the $4 tag for AstraZeneca’s) now that the European Commission has smeared the vaccine with claims of blood clotting and low efficacy. Not to mention threatening export controls, and blaming AstraZeneca for their shortfall in vaccine
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