The Urgent Quest For A COVID-19 Vaccine: Lessons From The Polio Era

The race to find a viable vaccine for COVID-19 a/k/a the coronavirus is on. The sooner we have a safe and effective vaccine, the sooner we can get back to the business of life. This isn’t the first time in human history that a disease or pandemic has swept the world. During the first half of the 20th century, polio ravaged the population, wiping out a generation. Cases of polio mushroomed from 27,000 cases in 1916 to nearly 60,000 in 1952. This devastating disease primarily affected children, leading parents to keep their kids home from school in an attempt to protect their health. Finding a cure quickly was vital, a sentiment that resonates today as we face a different, yet equally dire virus.

Finding and testing a vaccine is the work of scientists, while selling and distributing vaccines falls on pharmaceutical companies. These companies are often criticized for their tendency to inflate the cost of essential medications. In fact, selling life-saving drugs for exorbitant fees has become so normalized in the U.S. that we often overlook the implications. This is why the story of Dr. Jonas Salk, who discovered the polio vaccine, is so significant. In 1952, during the height of the polio crisis, Salk was approached by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to develop a vaccine.

Salk was born in New York City on October 28, 1914. His intelligence was evident from a young age, and he was accepted into an accelerated high school program at just 13 years old. By 15, he enrolled at City College of New York, later attending NYU School of Medicine where he developed an interest in research. Transitioning his focus from medicine to biochemistry and bacteriology, Salk aimed to help humanity rather than just individual patients. He quickly made a name for himself as a virologist and developed a flu vaccine at the University of Michigan.

Fast forward to the 1950s, Salk tested his polio vaccine on animals before progressing to human trials. In 1954, 1.8 million children participated in the vaccine trial, and by 1955, it was declared a success. One key factor in its success was Salk's decision not to patent the vaccine, prioritizing lives over profits. If patented, the vaccine would have been far more expensive, making it difficult for many, especially in developing countries, to afford it. Thanks to Salk's knowledge and generosity, polio has largely been eradicated.

As scientists race to find a COVID-19 vaccine, they face a pivotal choice: will they patent their discovery for profit or follow Salk's example, prioritizing the greater good? Today, Dr. Louis Falo and Dr. Andrea Gambotto from the University of Pittsburgh have developed an inoculation that generates significant coronavirus antibodies in mice and are awaiting FDA approval for human trials. They represent just one team of dedicated professionals striving to combat COVID-19.

The question remains: will the researchers who develop a successful COVID-19 vaccine opt to make it accessible for all, or will they choose to patent it and sell it to the highest bidder? The history of vaccines teaches us that prioritizing public health over profit can lead to widespread benefit. If Salk had chosen the latter path, we might still be grappling with polio today.