Race for a Vaccine

Right now, there’s a race between pharmaceutical companies to find the “cure” to Covid. Well, cure is a mere exaggeration. What we really mean is a vaccine- which, unfortunately, is not a guaranteed cure, just an effective preventative method that will, hopefully, help us control cases and outbreaks more efficiently. A vaccine decreases the threat of this current deadly virus.

Pharmaceutical companies are depending on the creation of  Covid-19 vaccine to bring in a profit for them. Drug companies are traditionally looked down upon for making drugs, despite that they’re often needed to improve the quality of life for many Americans. These drugs may help Americans, but they also in many cases lead to addiction and death. Student, Isaiah Headley expressed his concern with the handling of harmful drugs and the continuous “irresponsibility of so many companies.”

One of the biggest problems with this industry is these companies' contribution to the opioid crisis in our country. The examples are endless. The biggest example of this is the case in Oklahoma that ended with the big pharmaceutical company, Johnson and Johnson, having to pay 572 million dollars for their opioid case. An event such as this one severely damages a companies name and reputation and they look at creating a vaccine as a new start, an opening to recover their damaged brand.

Companies are scrambling and eagerly wanting to produce this vaccine to redeem their reputations and make money. The pharmaceutical company who makes this vaccine or at least makes advances in it will receive immense amounts of recognition and money. For many companies, they view this vaccine as the perfect opportunity to reclaim, redeem, and rebrand their heavily damaged names after years of opioid controversies and blame. Which is why it’s so appealing to these companies. Many companies are using the idea of a vaccine as a publicity stunt which is sad, but that’s how corrupt business works and unfortunately it’s what we deal with when it comes to competition in big businesses. 

This vaccine really is the perfect opportunity for these companies to prove to the general public their capabilities and possibilities. The public’s opinions matter and clearly this is the ideal way to redeem their names in the industry and gain the public’s respect. People and even public officials will practically bow down and salute anyone who gets anywhere or solves our Covid-19 problem. Student Kelsi Smith explained that, ”This competition is fueled for the wrong reasons, but it will surely get us somewhere and that’s truthfully what we need right now.” And I couldn’t agree more.