Developing a Corona Virus Cure

In the development of drugs to treat pandemics we are at the mercy of the private drug companies who have consistently demonstrated profits are more important the people.

Current news reports say the Federal government is going to pay enormous amounts to fund research to help Johnson and Johnson try to develop a Covid Virus cure.  Johnson and Johnson says it will be a "non-profit" venture during the pandemic.  My question is, who owns the patent after the pandemic is over?  I'm pretty sure it won't be the Federal Government.  When the next pandemic comes along will Johnson and Johnson use the knowledge and data they develop to negotiate the next big contract while the Federal Government stumbles along in the dark?

We saw the negative impact of profit driven medical research with the ventilator scam recently reported in the news.  The Federal government  paid a lot of money a decade or so ago to small ventilator company to develop an inexpensive and portable ventilator.  The company had delivered a couple of working prototypes. then the company got bought out by a bigger company who demanded more money - probably to cover the costs of them buying out the small company.  The Feds paid them more but still the big company evidently just pushed the project onto a back burner - industry insiders say they just wanted to kill a cheaper ventilator that would undermine their products.  Why didn't the Federal government sue for breach of contract?  Might relate to the fact we have an administration that believes the pursuit of money is sacred.  If that contract had been completed under contract we would have a lot more ventilators available today.

I'm no starry eyed believer in governments competence.  Bureacracy is always a problem in any big enterprise, particularly government.  But our model for drug development, and medical preparedness really needs an overhaul.  We are much too accomodating to private enterprises profit ambitions.

When the Federal Government hands out money to pursue a particular project, they should retain the rights to all the work product, including any patents involved, and enforce those rights.  It is not a novel concept, the private sector does that routinely.   

I'm sure the CEO's of big companies will say they would never agree to work under those circumstances.  I say fine.  There are a lot of bright, innovative people out there not working for giant multinationals.  The Federal Government should be developing a core medical technology competency to manage healthcare in this country, to outsource and manage development of new drugs and technology, by controlling the work product produced from the funds paid to hire research and development.