WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.) on Wednesday sent letters to Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson requesting information on their plans to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine manufacturing capacity across the globe. Their request comes as India faces a humanitarian and public health crisis, with over 350,000 new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day earlier this week.

“COVID-19 has infected over 148 million people and killed over three million globally, with hundreds of thousands of new cases and thousands of deaths being reported daily. Though Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and other companies have developed safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus poses significant risks to global vaccination efforts: as the virus proliferates, it evolves—increasing the risk of a variant developing that renders vaccinations ineffective,” the senators wrote.  

India is a major producer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines and has exported over 66 million doses globally since January 2021. But in the midst of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, India is struggling to vaccinate people quickly enough to quell the outbreak. 

The lawmakers asked a series of questions about the companies’ plans to expand global vaccine access, especially in middle- and lower-income nations. They have requested a response no later than May 11, 2021.  

Murphy also signed a letter earlier this month in support of the temporary waiver of some Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) rules at the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the COVID-19 emergency.

A full copy of the letter to Pfizer can be found here.

A full copy of the letter to Moderna can be found here.

A full copy of the letter to Johnson & Johnson can be found here.

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