Public Health and Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Pharmaceutical Company Engagement in COVAX

Abstract

Pharmaceutical companies developed Covid-19 vaccines in record time. However, it soon became apparent that global access to the vaccines was inequitable. Through a qualitative inquiry as the pandemic unfolded (to mid-2021), we provide an in-depth analysis of why companies engaged with the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX), identifying the internal (to the company) and external factors that facilitated or impeded engagement. While all producers of the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines engaged with COVAX, our analysis highlights the differential levels of COVAX engagement and identifies contractual obligations, opportunities and company strategy, and reputational pressures as key explanatory factors. We discuss our empirical findings relative to the literature on political corporate social responsibility (PCSR). Accordingly, we question whether pharmaceutical companies lived up to their responsibilities as corporate citizens and conclude that they failed to fulfill the implied responsibility of combating inequitable vaccine distribution. We conclude with implications of our research for practice, in relation to the challenges of global access to Covid-19 vaccines and for access to medicines more generally.

COVID-19 and Management Scholarship: Lessons for Conducting Impactful Research

“…Such efforts reveal the complexity of the pandemic's effect and organizations' ability to evaluate and respond to crises. Scholz et al (2024) highlight the challenge of inequitable access to vaccines during the pandemic using a political corporate social responsibility lens. They narrate the evolution of COVAX and question whether firms lived up to their implicit responsibility to ensure access due to contractual obligations, company strategy, and reputational pressures.…”

Ethical and Practical Considerations for an Agreement to Ensure Equitable Vaccine Access Comment on "More Pain, More Gain! The Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines and the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role in Widening the Access Gap"

“…(2) The unequal global distribution of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic presented a classic problem of collective action: the pursuit of self-interest by pharmaceutical companies, coupled with the self-interest of individual HICs, failed to yield an effective and equitable allocation of vaccines. 12 The proposed agreement should create incentives that align individual self-interest with collective goals. For example, governments and international agencies could offer rewards or subsidies to companies that prioritize equitable vaccine distribution, thereby encouraging cooperation for the greater good.…”