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**SEPTEMBER 1, 2021**

Kuttner on TAP

Biden's Worldwide Vaccine Policy-Big Pharma Keeps Winning

****

In late August, the South Korean government, one of America's
staunchest allies, sent President Biden an urgent request to get access
for South Korean vaccine producers to one of the COVID-19 vaccines
developed with U.S. taxpayer money.

South Korea wasn't even asking that the patents be waived. They were
willing to pay licensing fees at commercial rates. According to the
Financial Times
,
Korean officials were told that this was something for the drug
companies, not the U.S. government, to decide.

Really? The drug companies, having made tens of billions on COVID
vaccines so far, hope to make many billions more as they ramp up
production to meet worldwide demand. They don't want competitors, even
in friendly nations with urgent needs such as South Korea.

As the Biden administration plans to approve booster shots for
Americans, the gap between its words and deeds when it comes to vaccines
for the global pandemic is a disgrace.

To date, the U.S. has donated or pledged to donate about 600 million
doses, against a worldwide need of 12 to 15 billion doses by the end of
this year. The only solution is a patent waiver, so that drugmakers in
India and elsewhere can drastically increase production of vaccines
using the mRNA technology developed with substantial U.S. government
support in the case of Moderna.

In May, the U.S. raised hopes by reversing its traditional stance and
joining with some 130 other nations in voting for an emergency waiver of
the international trade agreement protecting patents and other
intellectual property, known as TRIPS. With the waiver, the new vaccines
would effectively be in the public domain for the duration of the
pandemic.

But since the U.S. dropped its opposition, there has been no progress
toward actually getting the deal done. My sources say the permanent
staff of the U.S. trade representative at WTO headquarters in Geneva,
loyal to the traditional view of trade deals being sacrosanct, has
worked to undermine progress.

It's a cliché to say that getting the world vaccinated is in
America's self-interest because COVID variants do not respect national
borders. It's also the right thing to do, as human beings.

The drug companies have far too much influence on Biden's
administration-Steve Ricchetti, this means you. Biden needs to put
humanity first.

~ ROBERT KUTTNER

Follow Robert Kuttner on Twitter

Robert Kuttner's latest book is
The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy
.

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