To Waive or Not to Waive: Vaccine Patent Rights

It has long been clear that the successful distribution of effective vaccines worldwide is our best hope for ending the Covid-19 pandemic. The extremely effective vaccines were mostly developed through the collaboration of for-profit pharmaceutical companies and the governments of several rich nations. By now, most well-off industrialized states have inoculated substantial percentages of their populations, but dozens of poorer countries have woefully inadequate supplies of vaccines and, without some kind of outside assistance, cannot come close to reaching the kind of numbers that will put an end to the disease. In the meantime, the pandemic is out of control in much of the world and, as a result, persists in even the most affluent countries as well. While the US and other governments have donated over 1 billion doses to countries in crisis, billions more are still needed. Many organizations advocating for fairer distribution of health care have argued for the waiver of patent rights to the vaccines so that poor countries could begin to manufacture them on their own. Nonetheless, adhering to a long-standing tradition that protects the intellectual property rights of companies that develop new medical technologies, the US and other nations have so far been reluctant to share the scientific know-how to make this possible. Further, even if the patent rights were waived, poorer countries would likely need additional assistance in building the manufacturing infrastructure to satisfy the demand. The Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity at Baruch College is pleased to host an online conversation with Dr. Arthur Caplan, one of the world’s leading medical ethicists, to discuss how the rich countries of the world should respond to the vaccine shortfall around the world from both an ethical and practical point of view. Dr. Caplan will be interviewed by Baruch College Management Professor Alex Mills who will bring his expertise in operations and supply chains into the discussion as well.