Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine shift has risky side effects

US President Joe Biden (File image: AP Photo)

Joe Biden’s vaccine revolution risks creating lingering ailments. The U.S. president’s decision to back removing intellectual property protections on Covid-19 jabs is a logical move, but practical difficulties mean it may not do much to help pandemic-ravaged countries. The danger is Big Pharma is less keen to develop new treatments in the next crisis.

The U.S. government had resisted a World Trade Organization proposal to force drug companies to share their vaccine patents during the pandemic. Biden’s move comes amid a dramatic increase in Covid-19 deaths in India and Brazil, two countries that have trailed their Western peers when it comes to vaccine access. His backing gives the proposals a realistic shot: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promptly said Europe is willing to discuss it.

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In theory, removing patent protection makes sense. It would reduce the cost of making vaccines for poorer countries, and make it easier for them to develop a broader range of remedies. Citizens in richer countries would also gain, as fewer infections would also limit the emergence of dangerous mutations.

Practical challenges, however, mean it is unlikely to make a big difference. The largest obstacle to widespread vaccines takeup is not the existence of patents, but the shortage of raw materials and manufacturing capacity. Drug companies like AstraZeneca have scoured the globe to arrange partnerships with companies such as the Serum Institute of India and Siam Bioscience in Thailand. GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi , which do not have approved treatments, are helping manufacture other group’s drugs. Complex vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA remedy, require costly cold storage, making it difficult for unspecialised manufacturers to replicate.