Lenarczyk Gabriela, Zemła-Pacud Żaneta, IP and Access to COVID-19-relevant Medicines - in Search of an Optimal Legal Framework

The unprecedented magnitude of COVID-19 treatment development projects is best illustrated by their number: not long after 12 March 2020, when the WHO declared a pandemic, more than 100 projects commenced across the world. There are currently over 135 vaccines in a preclinical phase, of four kinds: genetic, viral vector, protein-based and whole-virus. Several types of collaborations have been established, with state agencies and universities entering into collaboration with the private sector. The University of Oxford is working on a ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and their project has further been financially supported by British Government funding. Imperial College London has partnered with Morningside Ventures to manufacture and distribute its immune-boosting vaccine. Pfizer teamed up with German biotechnology firm BioNTech and Chinese drug maker Fosun Pharma. The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed recently funded the development and...