Florida congressional members want U.S. Army to hold public hearings on Zika vaccine

A bipartisan group of members of Congress from Florida has asked the acting secretary of the U.S. Army to hold public hearings before awarding exclusive rights to a French pharmaceutical manufacturer to develop a Zika vaccine using technology invented by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and funded by American taxpayers.

The lawmakers expressed concern about the affordability of a Zika vaccine once one becomes available because the pharmaceutical manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, rejected a request from the U.S. Army to set an affordable price for the drug.

In a June 13 letter to Robert Speer, acting secretary of the U.S. Army, nine Florida members of the House led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, said they were "especially concerned of the potential for monopolistic practices" that would place a Zika vaccine out of financial reach for many.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida also wrote to Speer this week asking the Army to obtain assurances from Sanofi that the vaccine will be affordable before awarding the company exclusive license to technology developed with American taxpayer funds.

"If the Army chooses to move forward with its plan to provide Sanofi Pasteur an exclusive license to sell this vaccine," Nelson wrote, "it must first obtain assurances that the vaccine will be affordable to all who need it."