The scientist who developed Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has hit out at the Biden administration's support for waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus shots. Advocates say that letting poorer nations make their own cheaper generics as soon as possible could be a critical boon to global vaccine supply. These proposed measures included 'the temporary suspension of intellectual property and extraordinary global public-private collaboration resulting in wider transfer of technology and know-how.' In theory, that's a problem that waiving patents could help solve, but in practice freeing up intellectual property alone may not do much. Waiving intellectual property protections could cut into profits for vaccine makers like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, for whom business has boomed amid the pandemic.

Source: The Nation May 06, 2021 19:52 UTC