BIG PHARMA reeled and MEPs called on the European Union to change course today after US President Joe Biden said that Washington would back a temporary patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines.
Mr Biden’s announcement on Wednesday night affirmed a position he had taken in the presidential election, but marks a U-turn by Washington, which had led the European Union, Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan in resisting the demand from developing countries since last autumn.
French President Emmanuel Macron rushed to express support for his US counterpart’s decision, suddenly revealing that he “completely” supports lifting intellectual property protections under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules for the “global public good.”