Covid Seen as Tipping Point to Lower Drug Prices, Patent Sharing

The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the world’s health system that patient advocates say can move the needle on years-long arguments over pricing and availability of medicines.

The drug industry says it’s undertaken an unprecedented effort to find vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Researchers are sharing work and pledging to ensure that any treatments are widely available and affordable.

These global efforts give patient advocates new leverage in the debate over drug prices that could continue after the pandemic ebbs.

Much of the conversation so far has centered on compulsory licensing, when ...