Vaccine patent debate: Choosing profits over human lives?
The US became one of the few Western countries to support waiving intellectual property for coronavirus vaccines.
Fulfilling a campaign promise to “free the vaccine”, US President Joe Biden said he would support lifting patent protection on coronavirus vaccines, to make it easier for vaccines to get to people around the world who need them quickly.
But several Western governments and most drug manufacturers opposed his stance, arguing that Big Pharma would have little incentive to produce a vaccine in record time the next time a new global health emergency arises.
Host Steve Clemons speaks to Dr Michelle McMurry-Heath, president of the trade group Biotechnology Innovation Organization; and Ed Luce, a US columnist for the Financial Times.
Published On 13 May 2021