Even with COVID-19, Big Pharma puts profits over People! With COVID-19 still raging across much of the developing world, especially India and Latin America, demands are growing to relax patents, share technology and trade secrets. Last October, more than 100 countries asked the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive intellectual property rights but Big Pharma, wanting to protect their massive profits, lobbied. And the US blocked it. But it was announced today that Biden has changed his position, and now supports temporarily waiving the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines. Although six months and countless lives later, this is very welcome. But opposition from other countries and from Big Pharma continues. While the rich countries debate, death rates soar. Meanwhile, New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman said it best when he tweeted, “All this talk about 'competing' with China. Why don’t we compete to see who can save the most lives by waiving our vaccine patents?” Sources: Rich Countries Signed Away a Chance to Vaccinate the World “Millions of Lives Are at Stake”: Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology Pressure Mounts to Lift Patent Protections on Coronavirus Vaccines “Monumental Moment”: U.S. Backs Waiving COVID Vaccine Patent Rights After Months of Blocking Talks
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