US backs waiving intellectual property rights for Covid vaccines

US President Joe Biden yesterday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines. In remarks to reporters, he voiced his support for the waiver, which is a sharp reversal of the previous US position.

 

US President’s top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, also issued a statement and backed negotiations at the World Trade Organization. Tai



said that the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. 

 

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called Biden's move a monumental moment in the fight against COVID19 on Twitter, and said it reflected the wisdom and moral leadership of the United States.