France has shot down the prospect of the United States getting its hands on a French-made vaccine before anyone else. It was reported earlier this week that the U.S. will likely be first in line to roll out any successful vaccine made by French company Sanofi because America was the first to fund the firm’s research. However, Bloomberg News reports that the French government has balked at that suggestion, setting up a conflict if a successful vaccine is developed. “For us, it would be unacceptable that there be privileged access for this or that country on a pretext that would be a financial pretext,” Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Thursday. Olivier Bogillot, the head of Sanofi France, said: “It’s evident that if Sanofi discovers a medicine, a vaccine against COVID-19 and if it’s effective, it will be available to all.”
