The Washington Post Quotes Lori Wallach on Coronavirus Vaccine Patents
By Alexandra Ellerbeck
“Once the patent issue is out of the way, knowledge-sharing may follow.”
“Companies worried about protecting their brands and gaining royalties may be more likely to enter into licensing agreements, argues Lori Wallach, the director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.”
“The U.S. government also has some leverage to push the vaccine-maker Moderna to share knowledge, given that the company’s mRNA vaccine was developed in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, which owns a key patent behind the technology.”
“The strongest, most powerful thing about this waiver is it changes the power dynamic,’ said Wallach. ‘The option of the vaccine not getting made is off the table.”