Anger as Trump alleged to have offered $1bn for German coronavirus vaccine
US president reportedly tried to secure exclusive control of vaccine supply
President Donald Trump has prompted anger after reportedly offering a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive rights to a future coronavirus vaccine.
According to Germany’s Welt am Sonntag, the US president offered $1bn (£809m) to biopharmaceutical company CureVac to secure the vaccine “only for the United States”.
However, in a press release, the company rejected “any claims on a possible sale of the company or its technology”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Head of the company’s biggest investor, Christof Hettich, added that an exclusive contract with the US was out of the question, adding: “We want to develop a vaccine for the whole world and not individual countries.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Responding the news of Trump’s alleged offer, German economic minister, Peter Altmaier, warned the president that “Germany is not for sale”. The Guardian reports that German health minister, Jens Spahn, added that exclusive access to the vaccine for the Trump administration was “off the table”.
In the US, immigration lawyer Greg Siskind tweeted that Trump’s move to poach the vaccine from an apparently allied nation was “basically declaring war on the world”.
The New York Times reports that two senior American officials claim German news accounts have been “overblown”, specifically referencing “any effort by the United States to secure exclusive access to a vaccine”.
However, Deutsche Welle adds that Germany’s interior minister, Horst Seehofer, said that crisis meetings with ministers today will include discussion of a German defence strategy for the firm.
CureVac was founded 20 years ago by scientists at Tübingen University, with The Times reporting that the firm is privately owned and has raised at least €360m (£324m) from investors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The company hopes to have an experimental vaccine developed by June or July, and then to secure approval for testing on people.
Reporting on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic so far, CNN said that the president has “performed in such an underwhelming fashion that you have to wonder whether something is wrong”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The murky role of military contractors in war
The Explainer A civil case against US company has revived debate over the increasing use of private security firms in military operations
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures Playful goslings, an exploding snowman, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
What is rock flour and how can it help to fight climate change?
The Explainer Glacier dust to the rescue
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans trying to change Nebraska's Electoral College vote?
Today's Big Question It's a chance for Donald Trump to block Joe Biden's path to re-election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
To win the election, Trump is changing how elections are run
Under The Radar While the former president campaigns for a second term in office, he and his team have quietly been working to tilt the nation's electoral rules in his favor.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'What a difference a judge makes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published