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The Biden administration's call to waive patent rights for coronavirus vaccines sparked vociferous opposition from drugmakers and pharma industry groups, which quickly claimed the move will discourage future drug research and do little to increase supply.
Activists, which have pressured the administration for months on the issue, argue a waiver is needed to begin removing hurdles standing in the way of manufacturing vaccines in Asia, Africa and South America.
"The waiver is the first significant step," said Tahir Amin, co-founder of I-MAK, a group that advocates for pharmaceutical patent reform. "It creates a risk-free environment for other manufacturers to at least attempt to reverse engineer vaccines."