UChicago Medicine Primary Care Creative 51123 UCM 017 D523 SAMEDAY v12
Frank Samolis

Frank Samolis

Waiving patent rights will make us less prepared for the next pandemic

Spread the love
By Frank Samolis
The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently released the text of a proposal to suspend patents on COVID-19 vaccines. All WTO members will vote on the proposal in June.
The text won’t take effect unless all 164 members sign on. But if it is approved, companies in developing nations will be allowed to use medical technology from U.S. companies and inventors without their consent or supervision.

FrankSamolis

Frank Samolis

Waiving patent rights would hurt not only the American companies that developed COVID-19 vaccines, but the biopharmaceutical sector, medical innovation, and the U.S. economy as a whole. And invalidating intellectual property rights would fail to address the real problem that waiver advocates say they want to fix: low vaccination rates in the developing world.
The governments of India and South Africa, which first petitioned the WTO for a patent waiver in 2020, insist that suspending intellectual property rights will boost manufacturing and thus get more shots into arms. That simply isn’t true.
According to the analytics firm Airfinity, about 12 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered to date, and global production capacity for 2022 is 20 billion. That’s more than four doses for every person on the planet.
Doses are piling up unused. In February, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stopped accepting vaccine donations, as its stockpiles are full and excess supply could expire. India’s largest drug manufacturer, the Serum Institute, has 200 million doses stockpiled and has ceased production until new orders come in.
The problem is not production — it’s distribution. Some of the actual challenges hampering vaccine distribution are public skepticism and lack of infrastructure. Well-executed foreign aid could help expand access.
But we won’t solve any of these challenges by upending intellectual property rights. To the contrary, doing so would undermine global public health for decades to come.
At the simplest level, a patent protects an inventor’s right to make and sell her product for a set period of time. A patent doesn’t guarantee business success; rather, it encourages inventors to risk time and money on developing products that may or may not prove successful.
America’s robust intellectual property protections are the reason so much innovation takes place in the United States. Notably, strong intellectual property laws encouraged years of research into messenger RNA, the technology underlying the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
If we cancel vaccine patents, we won’t just punish the companies that delivered these life-saving inoculations. We’ll also undercut the small biotech firms that licensed their groundbreaking tech to these larger, vaccine-producing behemoths. And we’ll slash investment into drug development as a whole.
Before entering an international agreement to waive patent rights, the Biden Administration should consult with Congress and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the agency charged with protecting intellectual property. Previous directors of the USPTO — from the Obama and Trump Administrations — have spoken out strongly against the patent waiver.
Some of those pushing for a patent waiver may genuinely want to increase vaccine access and improve global public health. But if the current proposal becomes international law, it will distract from real solutions. And it will undermine our ability to fight disease in the future.
Frank Samolis, an attorney, is a partner and co-chair of the International Trade Practice at Squire Patton Boggs. Previously, Frank was counsel to the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means, US House of Representatives. The views expressed here are his own. This piece originally ran in the Detroit News.

Local News

Former Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy (right) and Keith Pekau talk before a meeting in 2022. McCarthy will have the police station named in his honor. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Orland Park police station to be named after former chief Tim McCarthy

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Sometime in the near future, Tim McCarthy will be driving by or visiting his old home at the Orland Park police station and he will notice something new. His name. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted to name the station the Tim McCarthy Police Headquarters at its…

Perfect attendance students (front row, from left) Adrian Buenrostro, Ryan Arethas, Saanvi Patel, Matthias Davis; (back row, from left) Jack Bledsoe, Deijon Feliciano, Alan Martinez, Rosebud Summers, Makayla Knight, Nadia Gilmore and LeeSean McCorker. (Supplied photo)

23 EPCHS students achieve perfect attendance

Spread the love

Spread the loveTwenty-three Evergreen Park Community High School students were recognized by Principal Bill Sanderson at a breakfast in the school cafeteria on May 19 for having achieved perfect attendance for the 2022-2023 school year. Perfect attendance is truly an accomplishment, and we commend the following students and their parents for their focus on coming…

Salud Martinez Ruiz

Chicago man charged in Palos Heights motor vehicle thefts

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with possession of stolen motor vehicles after Oak Lawn police found him allegedly driving a van stolen in Palos Heights. Police said they responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Good Shepherd Church at 7800 McCarthy Road…

regional 2023-0605-Palos_118_Foundation

Palos 118 foundation donates $30,000 for new classroom displays

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe Palos 118 Educational Foundation recently made a $30,000 donation to Palos School District 118 for classroom equipment upgrades. The donation will be used for the purchase and installation of new 70-inch interactive displays in all of the district’s third-grade elementary classrooms. “Our hope is that the new displays can be delivered and…

Bobalicious at 12250 S. Harlem Ave. offers dozens of teas, smoothies and other drink combinations.

Family-run Bobalicious pops up on Harlem with community focus

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Isabella Schreck Families can bond and kids can have fun at Bobalicious in Palos Heights, according to co-owner Gustavo Godinez. The cafe, which opened in late November at 12250 S. Harlem Ave., offers dozens of teas, smoothie and other drink combinations. It sells boba toppings and features free popcorn, cotton candy, foosball,…

reporter puss n boots

Moraine Valley to host summer Movie in the Moonlight series

Spread the love

Spread the loveMoraine Valley Community College is hosting its popular Movie in the Moonlight series this summer. The college will show three movies on a 16-foot inflatable screen at the Gateway, between Buildings F and M, on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Admission is free. The first movie is the Oscar-nominated “Puss in…

Shepard High School senior Lauren Sinisi announces award winners at the annual U.S. Air Force JROTC program awards ceremony. (Supplied photos)

Shepard JROTC closes year with awards ceremony

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Shepard High School concluded its academic year recently with an awards ceremony honoring cadets who distinguished themselves. Many national organizations presented awards to students for scholastic excellence, JROTC leadership and involvement, conduct, and military bearing. Students named the top cadets in their…

reporter worth welcome sign

Worth passes parking restrictions for better safety

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle A series of parking regulations have been established in Worth in an effort to provide improved public safety within sections of the village. Trustee Brad Urban, who is the head of the public works committee, mentioned that an ordinance was being considered to eliminate parking on the south side of…

Palos Heights Alderman Jack Clifford announced current road construction projects in the city. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Contruction headaches starting, splash pad coming to Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Road construction time is in full swing and already residents of Palos Heights are experiencing some headaches. At a brief June 6 city council meeting that had four of eight aldermen absent, Alderman Jack Clifford said that an Oak Park Avenue construction project had started and is inconveniencing residents along…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound June 7, 2023

Spread the love

Spread the love

Neighbors

DVN JCs Restoration House Ad
Former Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy (right) and Keith Pekau talk before a meeting in 2022. McCarthy will have the police station named in his honor. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Orland Park police station to be named after former chief Tim McCarthy

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Sometime in the near future, Tim McCarthy will be driving by or visiting his old home at the Orland Park police station and he will notice something new. His name. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted to name the station the Tim McCarthy Police Headquarters at its…

Perfect attendance students (front row, from left) Adrian Buenrostro, Ryan Arethas, Saanvi Patel, Matthias Davis; (back row, from left) Jack Bledsoe, Deijon Feliciano, Alan Martinez, Rosebud Summers, Makayla Knight, Nadia Gilmore and LeeSean McCorker. (Supplied photo)

23 EPCHS students achieve perfect attendance

Spread the love

Spread the loveTwenty-three Evergreen Park Community High School students were recognized by Principal Bill Sanderson at a breakfast in the school cafeteria on May 19 for having achieved perfect attendance for the 2022-2023 school year. Perfect attendance is truly an accomplishment, and we commend the following students and their parents for their focus on coming…

Salud Martinez Ruiz

Chicago man charged in Palos Heights motor vehicle thefts

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with possession of stolen motor vehicles after Oak Lawn police found him allegedly driving a van stolen in Palos Heights. Police said they responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Good Shepherd Church at 7800 McCarthy Road…

regional 2023-0605-Palos_118_Foundation

Palos 118 foundation donates $30,000 for new classroom displays

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe Palos 118 Educational Foundation recently made a $30,000 donation to Palos School District 118 for classroom equipment upgrades. The donation will be used for the purchase and installation of new 70-inch interactive displays in all of the district’s third-grade elementary classrooms. “Our hope is that the new displays can be delivered and…

Bobalicious at 12250 S. Harlem Ave. offers dozens of teas, smoothies and other drink combinations.

Family-run Bobalicious pops up on Harlem with community focus

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Isabella Schreck Families can bond and kids can have fun at Bobalicious in Palos Heights, according to co-owner Gustavo Godinez. The cafe, which opened in late November at 12250 S. Harlem Ave., offers dozens of teas, smoothie and other drink combinations. It sells boba toppings and features free popcorn, cotton candy, foosball,…

reporter puss n boots

Moraine Valley to host summer Movie in the Moonlight series

Spread the love

Spread the loveMoraine Valley Community College is hosting its popular Movie in the Moonlight series this summer. The college will show three movies on a 16-foot inflatable screen at the Gateway, between Buildings F and M, on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Admission is free. The first movie is the Oscar-nominated “Puss in…

Shepard High School senior Lauren Sinisi announces award winners at the annual U.S. Air Force JROTC program awards ceremony. (Supplied photos)

Shepard JROTC closes year with awards ceremony

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Shepard High School concluded its academic year recently with an awards ceremony honoring cadets who distinguished themselves. Many national organizations presented awards to students for scholastic excellence, JROTC leadership and involvement, conduct, and military bearing. Students named the top cadets in their…

reporter worth welcome sign

Worth passes parking restrictions for better safety

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle A series of parking regulations have been established in Worth in an effort to provide improved public safety within sections of the village. Trustee Brad Urban, who is the head of the public works committee, mentioned that an ordinance was being considered to eliminate parking on the south side of…

Palos Heights Alderman Jack Clifford announced current road construction projects in the city. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Contruction headaches starting, splash pad coming to Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Road construction time is in full swing and already residents of Palos Heights are experiencing some headaches. At a brief June 6 city council meeting that had four of eight aldermen absent, Alderman Jack Clifford said that an Oak Park Avenue construction project had started and is inconveniencing residents along…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound June 7, 2023

Spread the love

Spread the love

CRR NH Prusak Roofing House Ad
Regional Capri Pizza House Ad