The US has backed the suspension of some intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, which could ramp up production of jabs for poorer countries.
During World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the Biden administration “believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines”.
The temporary waiver on IP rights would allow more manufacturers to produce the vaccines.
Tai cautioned it would take time to reach a required global consensus to waive the protections under WTO rules, and officials said the US decision would not have an immediate effect on the global supply of vaccines.
Published Wednesday, May 5, 2021 4:32PM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, May 5, 2021 6:24PM EDT WASHINGTON - The Biden administration on Wednesday joined calls for more sharing of the technology behind COVID-19 vaccines to help speed the end of the pandemic, a shift that puts the U.S. alongside many in the developing world who want rich countries to do more to get doses to the needy. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the government s position, amid World Trade Organization talks about a possible temporary waiver of its protections that would allow more manufacturers to produce the life-saving vaccines. “The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines,” Tai said in a statement.
US Government and industry clash over COVID-19 vaccine IP waiver The US says it will support the proposed waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines: but the country’s industry says this sets a ‘dangerous precedent for future pandemics’.
Yesterday the Biden-Harris Administration announced its support for waiving intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines: saying it will actively participate in negotiations at the World Trade Organization to make this happen.
“Those negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved, said a statement from US trade representative, Katherine Tai.
“The Administration’s aim is to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible. As our vaccine supply for the American people is secured, the Administration will continue to ramp up its efforts – working with the private sector and all possible
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Biden Decision To Back Waiving Patents For Covid Vaccines Sparks Industry Backlash
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The U.S. is typically the staunchest defender of intellectual property rights on the international stage, so it was something of a shock when the Biden Administration on Wednesday announced its support for waiving patents on Covid-19 vaccines. “This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. “The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines.”