Business | A shot in the arm

America wants to waive patent protection for vaccines

But it will not have an immediate effect on supplies

May 8th 2021|WASHINGTON, DC

AMERICA HAS long been the global protector-in-chief of intellectual property. But on May 5th it sought to tear up the rule book. “The extraordinary circumstances of the covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” said Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative. To help battle the pandemic, the administration of President Joe Biden said it supported waiving some intellectual-property protections for vaccines. Jaws dropped—along with the share prices of vaccinemakers.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A shot in the arm”