EU ready to discuss US proposal to share Covid vaccine patents

(Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies/PA)

European Union president Ursula von der Leyen has said the 27-nation bloc is ready to talk about a US proposal to share the technology behind Covid-19 vaccines to help speed the end of the pandemic.

Without firmly committing to it, she said “we are ready to discuss how the US proposal for waiver on intellectual property protection for Covid vaccines could help”.

In a video address, she added: “In the short run, however, we call upon all vaccine-producing countries to allow exports.”

President Joe Biden’s administration is throwing its support behind efforts to waive intellectual property protections for vaccines.

US trade representative Katherine Tai announced the US government’s position in a statement, amid World Trade Organisation talks over easing global trade rules to enable more countries to produce more of the life-saving jabs.