Intellectual protection for vaccines

Having worked in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry for 25 years, I am certainly deeply concerned about US President Biden’s controversial proposal to waive intellectual protection for coronavirus vaccines.

The Biden administration a few days ago threw its support behind a controversial proposal to waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines, with liberals framing it as a necessary bid to speed the shots to billions in the developing world, while the drug industry warned of devastating effects to vaccine production and research.

The head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) made a remarkable statement in a recent interview: "I think that we should concentrate on enabling innovation," said Emer Cooke. "None of the existing vaccines would have come about without an attractive innovation environment."

The statement is remarkable because this simple logic threatens to be forgotten more and more. The fact that the world discusses vaccine patent revocation is just the latest example.

We all need an innovation agenda that includes the reduction of bureaucracy as well as better integration between science, investors and established corporations. Because it is at this interface that the great ideas of tomorrow arise. The connections have long been known. Just like the fact that particularly complex new technologies sometimes require state funding. Quantum computers are one such case.

Never before have companies in many parts of the world spent so much money on research and development as in 2019, as current figures show. They invested almost 92 billion US dollars in innovations - almost six percent more than in the previous year.

Successful economic policy should not focus on directing the economy. It should create a climate in which people and companies are willing to take risks. A climate in which new things can arise. Anyone who now without a need to question patent protection, which is nothing other than the reward for successful innovation, is sending a signal in the completely wrong direction!!!

Without innovation no new medicines or vaccines! Without patent/intellectual property rights protection – no innovation.

Think of another pandemic or virus or severe illnesses: without patent protection: no research = no new medicines to save you.

And finally, President Biden should be informed that there are other ways to provide poor countries with reasonable prices for vaccines – dissolving patent protection is a bad option!

I look forward to your feedback; contact me at  [email protected]