Vaccinologist forgoes millions to save millions of lives

Humanitarian: Gilbert says she rejected patenting the vaccine because she wanted to share its benefits so anyone could produce it.

PETALING JAYA: The name Dame Sarah Gilbert may not ring a bell among most Malaysians, but the British scientist gave up the chance to make millions in profits to help save millions of lives around the world with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is part of Malaysia’s portfolio to combat the lethal Covid-19 pandemic.

In a report, mStar noted that the professor of vaccinology, who led Oxford University’s research into the vaccine, had refused to patent or profit from it.