Interview: Paul Herrling, Chairman of the Selection Committee, RIGHT Fund “More public-private partnership needed to spur research of less-profitable areas”

The new coronavirus pandemic has affected more than 800,000 people around the world as of Tuesday. Originated in Wuhan, China, the deadly virus has swept the globe and killed over 40,000.

Experts warn that a new infectious disease without a treatment or vaccine, such as COVID-19, could claim scores of millions of people until a treatment arrives.
To contain the pandemic, many pharmaceutical companies are rushing to develop a treatment or a vaccine against COVID-19. However, it is still uncertain when the pandemic will end because it is almost impossible to predict when treatment and a vaccine will be available.
The problem is that many drugmakers tend to stop working on drug or vaccine candidates once a pandemic ends. Prices of vaccines and treatments for developing countries, in particular, are likely to be set low. At the same time, a drug firm has to spend over a decade and millions of dollars to develop a single medicine. Such circumstances make it difficult for businesses to invest in affordable drugs in developing countries.