“This has a real potential to help save lives, strengthen the economy, improve international relations and eventually end this awful pandemic.” US Army Specialist Angel Laureano holds a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando. Under pressure, Biden backs COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver In the face of mounting international pressure, the Biden administration on Wednesday announced support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines — which campaigners welcomed as “a transformative, hopeful event” that has the potential to save lives around the world, especially in the Global South. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the move as activists gathered in Washington, D. for a Rally for a People’s Vaccine urging President Joe Biden to back a Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver at the World Trade Organization (WTO) proposed by the India and South Africa.