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Releasing patents on corona vaccines is not the correct answer to global vaccine scarcity. The international federation of pharmaceuticals writes this in a statement that, when asked, is at least supported by Pfizer.
According to the pharmaceutical industry, the release of patents does not lead to more vaccines but disrupts vaccine production and distribution.
The federation responded to the United States, which rallied behind a proposal to release patents on corona vaccines on Wednesday evening. This would also allow factories in developing countries to produce vaccines, possibly for a lower price.
India and South Africa, in particular, are fighting for this because both countries are struggling with significant numbers of infections, while vaccination is not fast enough due to scarcity, among other things. On Thursday, EU President Ursula von der Leyen also said that she is not unwilling to release a patent. Previously, the US and the EU were against the plan.
The slow vaccination is due to trade barriers, bottlenecks in the supply chain, a shortage of raw materials and the unwillingness of rich countries to share their vaccines with poorer countries, according to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). According to IFPMA, the patent release discussion only distracts from these problems.
