German Chancellor Merkel opposes Biden's proposed patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines

[Hamartia Antidote]

German Chancellor Merkel opposes Biden’s proposed patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines - Washington Examiner

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out in opposition to a U.S. proposal to waive patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines to aid poor countries.A spokeswoman for Merkel said that waiving patents would cause “severe complications” for producing vaccines. “The limiting factor for the...

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out in opposition to a U.S. proposal to waive patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines to aid poor countries.

A spokeswoman for Merkel said that waiving patents would cause “severe complications” for producing vaccines. “The limiting factor for the production of vaccines are manufacturing capacities and high quality standards, not the patents. The protection of intellectual property is a source of innovation and this has to remain so in the future,” the spokeswoman said.

Merkel is the first major leader to oppose patent waivers since President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he supported the idea.

Germany is the home to BioNTech, a company that partnered with Pfizer to produce an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Both companies have come out in opposition to patent waivers.

A patent waiver would mean that countries around the world could reproduce currently existing COVID-19 vaccines without having to worry about getting sued by the pharmaceutical companies that hold the patents. For a waiver to go into effect, all members of the World Trade Organization would have to approve it.

India and South Africa proposed waiving patents on COVID-19 vaccines at a WTO meeting last October. At the time, the United States opposed it, as did Canada, Australia, and the European Union.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the executive branch of the EU, has signaled openness to Biden’s proposal.

She said the EU was willing to discuss any proposals that address the pandemic “in an effective and pragmatic manner. That's why we are ready to discuss how the U.S. proposal for a waiver on intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines could help achieve that objective.”


Thus far, French President Emmanuel Macron is the only leader to express unequivocal support for the Biden proposal, saying on Thursday that he was “absolutely in favor” of the idea.

 

[vi-va]

Because Pfizer is only maker, which make Germany company BioNtech vaccine.

Pfizer has capacity to make money, if patent waived, only lost some market share, while BioNtech lost everything.

Literally US is waiving other's patent. Funny

 

[obj 705A]

Old hag Merkel trying to profit off of people's illness using the same old excuse of "we can't guarantee the quality" if she supports patent waivers.
I'm actually surprised to hear that Biden suuports patent waivers.

 

[Ali_Baba]

Both France and Germany are both as bad as each other when it comes to vaccines - The current situation in the EU is so bad because France blocked all other vaccines - hoping a French Vaccine could be used to vaccinate the EU countries - with handsome profits for a French manufacturer,

Of course - that plan did not work.