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U.S. weighs global vaccine intellectual property waiver opposed by drugmakers

A woman is inoculated with a Moderna Inc. COVID-19 vaccine by a health care worker at Irvington Housing Authority in the township of Irvington, New Jersey, on Wednesday. | JAMES ESTRIN / THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Susan Decker and Eric Martin
Bloomberg

Apr 22, 2021

The Biden administration is weighing an appeal from progressive Democrats to accelerate global access to COVID-19 vaccines, by supporting a waiver of intellectual-property protections — a move opposed by big drugmakers.

Lawmakers led by U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren called last week on President Joe Biden to back a proposal before the World Trade Organization that seeks a broad waiver from obligations on the protection of intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights and trade secrets.

The aim is to ease rules regarding the production and export of vaccines and other critical medical goods needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. weighs global vaccine intellectual property waiver opposed by drugmakers

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