Paris: The French Government, on Thursday, criticised pharmaceutical giant Sanofi for saying that it would reserve the first shipments of any COVID-19 vaccine for the United States of America.
Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi, Paul Hudson had on Wednesday, said that the US would get first dibs on the vaccine because its government was helping by funding the vaccine research.
Speaking to Bloomberg News, he had said that the US government has a right to the largest pre-order because “they’ve invested to try and protect their population, to restart their economy”.
Hudson’s comments drew ire from officials and health experts, who pointed out that Sanofi, which is headquartered in Paris, has benefited from research credits from the French Government worth tens of millions of euros.
Commenting on the issue, France’s deputy finance minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told Sud Radio that they find it unacceptable for any country to have privileged access for financial reasons.
She added that she immediately contact Sanofi after Hudson’s comments and she was told that the vaccine would be available in every country.
