COVID-19: ‘Secret sauce’ of mRNA vaccines to be revealed?

COVID-19: ‘Secret sauce’ of mRNA vaccines to be revealed?

Pharmaceutical giants, aka "Big Pharma", are protected by undisclosed trade secrets and patents. An exclusive group of drug makers has ensured that rich countries can lay claim to most of their miracle drugs — while limiting the number of companies that can also produce the vital vaccines. America follows an advanced system and strict laws to protect the intellectual property (IP) of its most innovative companies from copycats or knockoffs. But with COVID-19 vaccines, the US has made a sweeping policy U-turn by supporting a vaccine patent waiver proposal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In effect, the move announced late on Wednesday (out on Twitter on Thursday), allows other pharma companies within and outside the US to make copies of the most advanced COVID-19 vaccines, notably the mRNA shots. On May 5, 2021, US President Joe Biden threw his support behind waiving IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines, in a landmark decision. World leaders lauded the US move. Biden's support for a waiver — a sharp reversal of the previous U. S. position — is historic. It was followed swiftly by a statement from his top WTO negotiator, Ambassador Katherine Tai. Ambassador Tai stated:"This is a global health crisis, and