Patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines is the simple but the wrong answer.

Less wealthy countries are relying on a vaccine-sharing such as Africa, S. America, Asia, and Oceania .
The decision of the US Gov. to support a patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines is the simple but the wrong answer to the world.

The industries need scaling up vaccine production and distribution globally.
The patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines can do that?

In the world, people had discussed patent waiver for medicines and vaccines several times.

Past Patent waiver cases in Africa and India

In 1990, Africa made requests to waive the AIDS medicines.
At that time, patent pool system was the best answer to save African patients and avoid future production and practical solutions by patent owners.

In 2010, India made requests to waive the cancer medicines.
Gov. of India decided to change patent law at that time.
Under the new law, local Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers can be mandatory licensee by filing the requests to Foreign Giant pharmaceutical manufacturers.
This new law was international topic and the developing countries had argued a lot.

In this time, President Joe Biden threw his support behind waiving patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers and more than 100 other countries, but angering pharmaceutical companies. Biden voiced his support for a waiver - a sharp reversal of the previous U.S. position - in remarks to reporters, followed swiftly by a statement from his top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, who backed negotiations at the World Trade Organization.

On the other hand, German leader, Angela Merkel rejects US move to waive patents on vaccines.
She has expressed that it would have “serious implications” for vaccine production worldwide.

Angela Merkel said the limiting factors in vaccine supply were “production capacities and the high-quality standards, not the patents”. “The protection of intellectual property is a source of innovation and it must remain so in the future,” she added. Merkel was responding to the announcement by President Joe Biden’s top trade adviser, Katherine Tai, who said that while the US “believes strongly” in IP protections, it would support a waiver of those rules for Covid-19 vaccines.

Risks “copycat” vaccines though China and Russia

The waiver would allow any pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world to make “copycat” vaccines. 
Without fear of being sued for infringing IP rights, China and Russia would start to use "Messenger RNA" technology for their original vaccines.

The Messenger RNA technology is break though technology  in pharmaceutical industry. 
Now, China and Russia are using old fashion process of their vaccine manufacturing. Thus, their current vaccines are more sensitive than infectious diseases. 

US just wants to waive the criticism of vaccine enclosure...

Now, we can watch how many have been vaccinated through the data base.

Vaccinated rates of North America is 51%

Vaccinated rates of Africa is 1.5%

Vaccinated rates of Oceania is 6.8%

President Joe Biden just wants to waive the criticism of vaccine enclosure from the international public opinion.
He needs to address the real challenges in industry how to scale up  production and commitment to provide safe, effective and quality vaccines to the world. 

One Stop Asian IPs
Masuvalley and Partners