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To ethically tackle COVID-19, Big Pharma needs an overhaul
In April, as doctors, nurses, and caregivers worldwide struggled to save tens of thousands of people severely sickened with a novel and fast-moving virus, researchers for the California-based pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences provided a much-needed glimmer of hope. Trial results for a new drug, remdesivir, showed huge promise, indicating that the drug cuts down recovery time for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and giving medical providers a vision of a lifesaving treatment option. But as soon as news of this taxpayer-funded drug spread around the globe, politics and profits dictated who would have access to it first. The U.S. government purchased the initial supply of the drug—leaving sick patients around the globe without access. And now Gilead is facing a wave…