Catholic Social Teaching, Corporate Moral Responsibility of Big Pharma, and COVID-19

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter critically examines the corporate moral responsibility (CMR) of Big Pharma’s patents and distribution system of their COVID-19 vaccines in the light of Catholic social teaching’s (CST) moral principles on the purpose of business, role of profit, and distributive justice. It argues that with the great power of Big Pharma over their vaccines during the pandemic requires great CMR to provide affordable vaccines as public health goods for all nations by virtue of distributive justice. Analysis showed that Big Pharma is acting in corporate moral irresponsibility when it patented the communally developed and funded COVID-19 vaccines and distributed them through advanced purchase agreements (APAs) to rich nations, leaving millions of people in middle and low-income countries unvaccinated. Finally, it contends that civil society and international non-government organizations (NGOs) can enforce Big Pharma’s CMR in the global arena, given its alliance with governments of rich countries and the voluntary nature of CSR regulation.KeywordsBig PharmaCOVID-19 vaccinesPatentsCorporate moral responsibilityCatholic social teachingDistributive justice