U.S. backs giving poorer countries access to COVID-19 vaccine patents, reversing stance

By Andrea Shalal, Jeff Mason and David Lawder, Reuters Posted on May 6, 2021

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President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers and more than 100 other countries, but angering pharmaceutical companies.

Biden voiced his support for a waiver – a sharp reversal of the previous U.S. position – in remarks to reporters, followed swiftly by a statement from his top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, who backed negotiations at the World Trade Organization.