U.S. Trade Representative: "Pharmaceutical Companies Will Become Heroes if Vaccine Patents Are Waived"

"Pharmaceutical Companies Have an Immediate Duty to Save the World"
US Republicans Oppose, Saying "They Could Help China and Russia"
European Countries Also Negative... "Vaccine Export Restrictions Must Be Lifted First"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), emphasized that pharmaceutical companies that developed COVID-19 vaccines could become 'heroes' by temporarily waiving intellectual property rights, thereby saving the world. Amid domestic and international controversies over vaccine patent waivers, the Biden administration is rushing to lift vaccine patents first, but European countries are pressuring the Biden administration to lift export restrictions before addressing the complex patent waivers.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 12th (local time), Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative, stated at a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing regarding the temporary waiver of vaccine intellectual property rights, "If vaccine intellectual property rights are waived, pharmaceutical companies can become heroes," emphasizing, "We now have an obligation to save the world, and ending the spread of COVID-19 must be prioritized."

This statement came after the Biden administration announced on the 5th its support for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and international community's proposal to temporarily waive vaccine intellectual property protections. However, Republican lawmakers and pharmaceutical companies have expressed opposition to the waiver, citing concerns that it could aid adversarial countries such as China and Russia. Senators Steve Daines, Richard Burr, and many other Republican lawmakers and pharmaceutical companies have voiced opposition and urged the Biden administration to "withdraw support for the intellectual property waiver."

Regarding these opposing voices, Representative Tai said, "The temporary waiver of intellectual property rights is not about allowing other countries to steal U.S. technology but is a way to positively impact people's lives by greatly helping to end the COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "Ending the pandemic is the necessary first step for any future trade policy."

However, not only within the United States but also within the European Union (EU), there is opposition, making it uncertain whether the waiver will actually be implemented. On the same day, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi criticized at a press conference, "Before dealing with complicated issues like vaccine patent waivers, the U.S. and the U.K. should first lift export restrictions on vaccine raw materials and vaccines." Earlier, at the EU summit held on the 8th, major European leaders pressured to lift export restrictions first, stating, "Lifting patents will not immediately increase production," and urged that vaccine doses ordered by U.S. pharmaceutical companies be supplied first.