Russian Hacking

This week it was reported that Russian agents are hacking into the computer systems at research facilities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. trying to covertly obtain information about the different vaccine tests that are under way in the fight against Covid-19. This is being treated like it is some huge breach of national security.

I don't see a down side.

The effort they expend here takes away from any efforts they may be undertaking to sabotage our election. And, more importantly, they may be successful.

There are several research facilities working to be the first to market with a vaccine. But this being a free-market society with billions of dollars on the line, I don't expect that these facilities to be sharing much in the way of ideas and data. Each of them understand that the first one that can come to market with a safe and effective vaccine will reap billions and billions of dollars. We are talking BigPharma here, these are companies that routinely charge tens of thousands of dollars per month for a specific treatment that they have developed. We are talking about a product that has over six billion potential users. We are talking about no competitive products. We are talking big money.

If the Russians are successfully obtaining data from the research facililties, perhaps they can combine data from several labs to give themselves a leg up on developing a vaccine. Perhaps they can copy a successful process, say from Oxford or Houston or La Jolla. Perhaps they can create a completely new vaccine and perhaps even before BigPharma can bring theirs to market. Either way we win. The Russians have a huge scientific and high-tech manufacturing infrastructure. What they lack are dollars... hard money. While I'm sure they will work to supply their own internal needs for a vaccine they are also sufficiently astute to realize that they can easily export and sell their vaccine in huge quantities in Western markets at far lower prices than BigPharma will charge and reap the huge profits (in needed dollars) for themselves.

In this country we haven't been able to anything right regarding Covid-19. Is there really any reason to believe that our research facilities combined with BigPharma can bring a safe and effective vaccine on-line in sufficient quantities to halt the pandemic? We should be thanking the Russians for their work. If they are first to market in this country, I will thank them. If they are second or third and copying a Moderna vaccine but selling at a lower price, I still will thank them.