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Pharmaceutical companies have come to the rescue of the world with Covid-19 vaccines, but these days no good business action goes unpunished. The Biden administration is now under pressure to support a political campaign to break vaccine patents.
India and South Africa last fall asked the World Trade Organization to suspend intellectual property protection on Covid vaccines and treatments, which they say is needed to expand the global access. Fifty-five other countries as well as an army of nonprofits and unions joined in the heist attempt.
“Multi-billion dollar drug companies continue to prioritize profits by protecting their monopolies,” says Bernie Sanders. Rosa DeLauro, representative from Connecticut, adds, “We need to make public policy choices in the United States and at the WTO that put patients first.”
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Patent breakers present a false choice between intellectual property protection and public health. Breaking patents will not speed up production or distribution of vaccines in poor countries. Pharmaceutical companies are ramping up manufacturing as fast as they can, including in low-income countries.
Merck is reconfiguring its factories to produce the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while Novartis and Sanofi are delivering mRNA injections from Pfizer -BioNTech. Novavax called on Baxter BioPharma Solutions and Endo International. The Serum Institute of India plans to manufacture one billion doses of Novavax this year. J&J enlisted Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa and Biological E in India.
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