What we need is to work across Europe to build world-class, publicly controlled medical research capacity. Then, rather than handing over that research — or, indeed, the patient data underlying it — to the pharma cartel, we need to develop a different model of intellectual property protection that allows for the sharing and licensing of research in a way that supports international collaboration to produce better medicines for all.
Such an approach wouldn’t just undercut Trump’s plans to enhance U.S. power, it would also mean no longer treating lifesaving medical knowledge as commercial property that only the richest can afford.
Knowledge is the lifeblood of modern society, we are told — so, why are we allowing private interests to wall it off for decades?
In the meantime, we need to build manufacturing capacity as well. The public sector doesn’t have to produce every medicine our society needs, but in an increasingly insecure world, we do need more homegrown capacity. That means a more balanced range of private sector companies involved in medicines, as well as better public sector capacity, so we can’t be held to ransom.
Finally, given the long-term impact that cuts to U.S. and European aid will have on health care globally, we should work with countries in the global south to help boost their production capacity too. As things stand, too many nations have been discouraged from addressing their local health needs. And we should be supporting them with our know-how, technology transfer and a different intellectual property model.
We can have a world where everyone has access to the medicines they need. But both Trump and Big Pharma will push us in the opposite direction. It’s time for something else.