Activists have closed AstraZeneca's headquarters and called on the pharmaceutical company to revoke a patent for the coronavirus vaccine, The Guardian reports.
According to the publication, in protest, two demonstrators chained themselves to the company's front door.
Activists hung a banner over their headquarters with the caption: "People's vaccine - not profit vaccine."
"The company is trying to make a profit when thousands of people are dying in India," the activists said.
Protesters have blockaded @AstraZenecaâs cambridge hq to call for the company to waive the patent for its #coronavirus vaccine #PeoplesVaccine pic.twitter.com/Nd26h51CCB
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) May 11, 2021
In parallel with the rally, AstraZeneca holds an annual meeting with shareholders. The company has promised to sell the vaccine at a cost price until the end of the pandemic, though no specific date has been set.
Earlier, the administration of US President Joe Biden said it supported the abolition of intellectual property rights to coronavirus vaccines. The World Health Organization issues the same statement.
Major manufacturers of medicines strongly oppose this move.
