May 7, 2021

Vaccine IP Waiver

“President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines.” Reuters

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From the Right

The right is critical of waiving IP rights, arguing that it would harm innovation without meaningfully increasing vaccine access.

From the Left

The left is generally supportive of waiving IP rights, and calls for additional measures to ensure global vaccine access.

The left is generally supportive of waiving IP rights, and calls for additional measures to ensure global vaccine access.

A libertarian's take

“Suspending patents is not a moral imperative, it's moral grandstanding and would do nothing to get the vaccines faster to the people who need them. The World Health Organization lists fewer than 25 countries capable of manufacturing any vaccines whatsoever, much less the novel and highly complex COVID-19 vaccines…

“If all goes well, the vaccine makers are on track to supply enough COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate 7 billion people by the end of this year. It would be much more helpful for progressives to put aside their vendetta against the pharmaceutical companies and instead concentrate on figuring out the logistics of getting vaccines to people in poor countries.”
Ronald Bailey, Reason

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