JUST IN: Biden Administration Announces Support for Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

The Biden administration is supporting covid-19 vaccine patent waivers amid the ongoing global vaccination rollout and public calls for the U.S. to back the effort.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement explaining the decision, “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.”

The World Trade Organization is currently discussing the matter and, as CNN reported, India and South Africa are introducing a revised proposal soon.

While no decision was made, the discussion was “far more constructive, pragmatic, it was less emotive and less finger-pointing” than on previous occasions, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told a media briefing…

Activists and many world figures argue that the step is the only way to speed up access to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines for developing nations at a time when richer countries have bought up a large part of the global supply.

The statement from Ambassador Tai says, “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 partners — to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution. It will also work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines.”

These extraordinary times and circumstances of call for extraordinary measures.

The US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic and we’ll actively participate in @WTO negotiations to make that happen. pic.twitter.com/96ERlboZS8

— Ambassador Katherine Tai (@AmbassadorTai) May 5, 2021

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