Getty
A spokesperson for the German government said it would cause severe complications, per Bloomberg.
Experts have said lifting vaccine patents may not be that effective in easing global shortages.
Germany pushed back Thursday against President Joe Biden s support for a patent waiver on COVID-19 vaccines, one of the first rich nations to explicitly oppose the move.
A spokesperson for the German government said waiving patents would cause severe complications for vaccine production in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.
The US announced its support for the move on Wednesday, following pressure from more than 100 developing-world countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Paul Sancya/AFP/Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.
The hope is that it will allow other companies to make their own versions of established COVID-19 vaccines.
But many of the tricks to making Pfizer and Moderna s vaccines aren t found in patents, experts say.
A move to override Moderna, Pfizer, and other companies exclusive rights to their COVID-19 vaccines has sent the drug industry into a tizzy.
The Biden Administration said Wednesday that it would back a motion to waive intellectual property rights for coronavirus vaccines upholding a promise Biden made on the campaign trail.
6 Min Read
(Reuters) - The success of COVID-19 vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) is smoothing the way for using the novel technology not only in other vaccines, but possibly as treatments for cystic fibrosis, cancer and other hard-to-treat diseases.
FILE PHOTO: A scientist conducts research on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the laboratories of RNA medicines company Arcturus Therapeutics in San Diego, California, U.S., March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo
Scientists say mRNA has the potential to target diseases that cannot be reached by conventional drugs.
U.S. emergency authorization of the vaccines - one from Moderna Inc and another from partners Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE – and their gene-based manufacturing processes has shown that the Food and Drug Administration is open to broader use of the previously unproven technology, according to interviews with eight top experts in the field of mRNA.
Money, talent flowing into mRNA sector after COVID-19 success reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.