When Lifesaving Vaccines Become Profit Machines for Drugmakers

As Covid-19 spread last year, rich countries spent billions of dollars to speed development of vaccines and purchase early supplies. Now, 18 months into the crisis, vaccines are saving lives and helping to avert further economic losses, at least in the nations that can afford them. Yet, as drug companies ride a wave of support following years of criticism over high prices, they face a tricky question: How much should they charge governments desperate to protect their populations from a disease that has killed about 4 million people, crippled economies, and created turmoil across the globe?

The answer, in ...