Pandemic puts French medical research under the microscope

France’s health research strategy is difficult to separate from the country’s political predicament

In 2020, France’s failure to deliver a Covid-19 vaccine was felt as something of a national embarrassment. This is an absurd way to think, of course, and a misunderstanding of how scientific research works, but it is nonetheless an emotion felt deeply and widely. 

Partly, it is because France prides itself on being home to a significant pharmaceutical sector and a leader in public healthcare.