Between Immunity and Impunity

• Francesco Guarascio and Panu Wongcha-um, Refugees lack COVID shots because drugmakers fear lawsuits, documents show, Reuters, December 16, 2021

In normal circumstances, drugmakers buy insurance to cover liability for vaccines’ potential adverse effects. But COVID forced them to develop drugs so quickly that some side effects — for instance, a rare blood-clotting condition in some of those who took the AstraZeneca vaccine — are emerging as shots go into people’s arms. Many governments and international agencies have set up compensation schemes to reimburse victims and avoid lengthy litigation. An emergency law invoked by the U.S. government provides legal immunity for drug companies for side effects from their COVID-19 vaccines used in the country. The only exception is for instances of “wilful misconduct”. For drug companies, accepting potential liability runs counter to standard practice. [Read more].