The nine people who became millionaires with …

The international organization Oxfam published research that revealed how the development of vaccines to combat coronavirus triggered in this at least nine people have become billionaires. According to the NGO, these new fortunes were born “thanks to the enormous profits of the pharmaceutical groups which have a monopoly on the production of vaccines against covid-19”.

The report pointed out that the accumulated fortune of the aforementioned nine billionaires ($ 19.3 billion, € 16,000 million) “This would allow all low-income countries to be vaccinated 1.3 times”, which “received only 0.2 percent of the vaccines produced globally.”

The names of the new millionaires

Figures are based on rankings of US magazines Forbes, and published by the People’s Vaccine Alliance, of which Oxfam is a part, an organization that brings together organizations and personalities who demand free anti-virus vaccines around the world.

The two fortunes of the group that stand out are those of the President of Moderna, Stephane Bancel, with 4.3 billion dollars (3.5 billion euros), and the president and co-founder of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin, with 4,000 million (3,200 million euros).

The list also includes two of Moderna’s investors, the immunologist Timothy springer ($ 2.2 billion) and the scientist Robert Langer ($ 1.6 billion), to the president of this American biotechnology company, Noubar Afeyan ($ 1.9 billion), as well as the CEO of a company with a deal to make and package Moderna’s vaccine, Juan López-Belmonte ($ 1.8 billion).

The last three billionaires in the table are the co-founders of the Chinese company CanSino Organic Products: it is Zhu Tao ($ 1.3 billion) co-founder and scientific director of the company, Qiu Dongxu ($ 1.2 billion), co-founder and senior vice president and Mao Huihua ($ 1 billion), also co-founder and senior vice president.

More, eight other people who are already billionaires, with investments in pharmaceutical companies, increased their common wealth by $ 32.2 billion. This list is managed by Jiang Rensheng, chairman of the pharmaceutical company Zhifei, and Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.

This list is completed by: Tse ping (Sinopharm), Wu Guanjiang (Zhifei), Thomas and Andreas Struengmann, (BioNTech from Germany and Mega Pharma from Uruguay), Pankaj Patel (Cadila Healthcare), Patrick Soon-Shiong (ImmunityBio).

“These vaccines have been financed with public funds and should first and foremost be a global public good”, Tenuous Sandra Lhote-Fernandes, from Oxfam France, which called for “an urgent end to these monopolies”.

In turn, Anna marriottOxfam’s health policy officer said: “We have quickly created new vaccine billionaires, but have failed to immunize the billions who desperately need to feel safe.”

For its part, the European Commission assured this Wednesday that the European Union (EU) will be “constructive” within the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the evaluation of a lifting of patents for anticovid vaccines. , requested by Washington. However, he said he will first propose to adopt measures allowing a rapid increase in vaccine production.

In addition, African, European and other countries, as well as international organizations present at a meeting in Paris on African economies, have requested the lifting of patents on anti-ovoid vaccines to allow their production in Africa.

No obstante, “miembros claves del G20, como el Reino Unido y Alemania, continúan bloceando las iniciativas que apuntan a levantar las barreras ligadas a la propiedad intelectual sobre las vacunas”, denunció Oxfam, que señaló también una “posición Francia ambigua” the theme.

Complete list of new billionaires and their fortunes

• Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna: $ 4.3 billion.

• Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech: $ 4 billion.

• Timothy springer, immunologist and founding investor of Moderna: $ 2.2 billion.

• Noubar Afeyan, President of Moderna: $ 1,900 million.

• Juan López-Belmonte, president of ROVI, a company with an agreement to manufacture and package the Moderna vaccine: $ 1.8 billion.

• Robert Langer, scientist and founding investor of Moderna: $ 1.6 billion.

• Zhu Tao, Co-founder and Scientific Director of CanSino Biologics: $ 1.3 billion.

• Qiu Dongxu, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of CanSino Biologics: $ 1.2 billion.

• Mao Huihua, Also co-founder and senior vice president of CanSino Biologics: $ 1 billion.