Biden administration supports waiver of patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines

A US trade representative announced on Wednesday that the Biden-Harris administration supports “waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines” in order to help increase global supply and access to shots. The proposal will next move to the World Trade Organization for negotiations. On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back against the Biden administration’s call to waive vaccine patents, saying that it could have “significant implications for vaccine production.”