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Vaccine patents: Biden’s move, Merkel cuddles Biontech and Curevac, Draghi’s carrot and stick with USA and Big Pharma

3 years ago babelfish

Vaccine patents: Biden's move, Merkel cuddles Biontech and Curevac, Draghi's carrot and stick with USA and Big Pharma

Words, moves, problems, bluffs and scenarios on the patents of the anti Covid vaccines. Facts, names, numbers, curiosities and controversies. Bits of press review in the tweets of Michele Arnese, director of Start

THE STILETTATA OF DRAGONS TO THE BIG PHARMA

STICK AND CARROT OF DRAGONS TO USA

THE SIGHTS OF BIDEN

SUBBUGLI PROGRESSISTI ANTI BIDEN

THE MOVE OF BIDEN SEEN BY MAGRI (ISPI)

EUROPE IN LAYOUT ORDER ON US PROPOSAL

MERKEL'S CALLS ABOUT PATENTS

THE MANEUVERS OF GERMANY

TRIA STRONCA BIDEN

WHO IN CHINESE

WTO PUFFS ON USA FOR PATENTS

THE COLAO PLAN ON THE NETWORKS

FEDRIGA SUPER OPENER

GREEK FOLGORA HISTORICAL

THE PRECARIANS ENTER IN SCHOOL

QUISQUILIE & PINZILLACCHERE

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EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE OF THE REPUBLIC ON GERMANY, PATENTS AND VACCINES:

Merkel intervened at the top with the issue. After a phone call with the founder of Biontech, Ugur Sahin, he reiterated his skepticism regarding the Biden proposal, also strengthened by the clear stance of the founder of Curevac, Ingmar Hoerr, who branded it as "purely populist". For Merkel it is not a detail: in June the green light of the EMA in Curevac is expected, after Biontech the second vaccine made in Germany. And Berlin has no intention, all the more so after investing 350 million euros in Biontech and 300 million in Curevac, of which it has even secured a 23% stake, to give up the ambition of conquering a global outpost through vaccines. in the development of high-tech drugs such as mRna products produced by both Biontech and Curevac.

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EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE FROM CORRIERE DELLA SERA ON GERMANY AND VACCINES:

In fact, other factors weigh on the choice of the chancellor. First of all, there is an internal political component, which is reflected in the electoral campaign already underway: Verdi, Linke and NGOs immediately supported the White House proposal. "Germany must link up with the US and launch an initiative at the World Health Organization," said Grünen co-chair Robert Habeck. With her no, Merkel can profile the CDU as the champion of made in Germany, especially in the field of advanced technologies, but the strategic factor is even stronger and more interesting. Merkel has said early on that the advent of the Biden administration following the Trump disaster, while welcomed with relief, would not eliminate differences of views between America and Europe. The one on vaccine patents is an example. All the more so as the US somersault puts Berlin in front of a dilemma: on the one hand, the German government was among the first to commit to a more equitable global distribution of vaccines, generously funding the Covax initiative under the aegis of the UN. On the other hand, it is irritating that after months of insistence on the national vaccination campaign, including strict export bans, the US now wants to profile itself as a champion of international solidarity. The chancellor is also annoyed by the fact that Biden's breakthrough is also a counter-move in what is called vax-diplomacy. By proposing to liberalize the production of vaccines, albeit for a fixed period, the White House seeks to create political capital for itself in the systemic conflict with China, launched on the "silk road of health" with the export of its Sinovac and Sinopharm in Africa and elsewhere. In other words, Biden's seems to be a soft power move, with no immediate effect compared to the global fight against the pandemic. But it risks already producing concrete negative effects on the entrepreneurial level, penalizing long-term investment decisions.

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EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE FROM CORRIERE DELLA SERA ON DRAGONS AND VACCINES:

«In Europe – is the meaning of the speech that Draghi makes to his colleagues – we must continue to accelerate vaccinations with transparency and reliability. Production needs to be increased in every part of Europe. Other countries must remove export blocks: the EU exports 80% of its production to countries affected by export blocks. In this context, I welcome President Biden's proposal ". And this is because, continues Draghi," we are facing a unique event: millions of people who are not in a position to buy vaccines are dying. Pharmaceutical companies have received enormous funding from governments, and at this point one would almost expect them to return at least some of it to those in need. People who are familiar with the subject tell me that a temporary and well thought-out measure would not be a disincentive for the pharmaceutical industry. However, there are two further problems that will have to be addressed in order for the proposal to be considered realistic: the safety of production and the incredible complexity of the production process. As Europeans we cannot ignore this problem. We know that financial resources are not and will never be enough. But the cry resounds. ”In short, making vaccine recipes public, allowing everyone, even with the transfer of know-how and industrial financing to poor countries, to produce vaccines at home is a legitimate medium-term objective to be supported. And even if the temporary suspension of the legal protection of patents to be negotiated at the WTO in Geneva is a complex process, at least for Draghi, as for Biden , it is worth trying the game, in a long-term perspective.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/brevetti-vaccini-biden-merkel-draghi/ on Sat, 08 May 2021 08:28:13 +0000.