Burr Statement on Intellectual Property Protections for COVID-19 Vaccines

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement it will support waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines:

“The partnerships developing and manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccines have been one of the biggest scientific success stories in generations – one that’s already impacting other areas of medical research.

“Intellectual property protections are part of the reason we have these life-saving products; stripping these protections only ensures we won’t have the vaccines or treatments we need when the next pandemic occurs. The Biden Administration should not support waiving intellectual property protections, which would undermine the very innovation we are relying on to bring this pandemic to an end. Instead, it should work with innovators and manufacturers to continue scaling up production and increase vaccine availability around the world.”