Vials containing Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson via Reuters
The White House is considering lifting intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines.
The move would allow other countries to replicate existing vaccines. The United States has approved three recordings so far: one developed by the American company Pfizer and Germany-based BioNTech, another produced by the American company Moderna, and the third made by the American company Johnson & Johnson.
Concern has grown over the US and a handful of other wealthy countries owning the rights to a disproportionate portion of the world’s vaccine supply, while other countries are struggling to inoculate their people.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi has written to the White House to support the move. Developing countries have also urged the World Trade Organization to make intellectual property available.
According to data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 19% of US adults and about 15% of the total US population are fully vaccinated.
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