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A vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine
BIG PHARMA reeled and MEPs called on the European Union to change course today after US President Joe Biden said that Washington would back a temporary patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines.
Mr Biden’s announcement on Wednesday night affirmed a position he had taken in the presidential election, but marks a U-turn by Washington, which had led the European Union, Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan in resisting the demand from developing countries since last autumn.
French President Emmanuel Macron rushed to express support for his US counterpart’s decision, suddenly revealing that he “completely” supports lifting intellectual property protections under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules for the “global public good.”
The US blockade of Cuba raises risks of a new global pandemic, experts warn at Unison conference
1943-2025: How one man’s unfinished work reveals the lethal lie of ‘colour-blind’ medicine
Politicians who continue to welcome contracts with US companies without considering the risks and consequences of total dependency in the years to come are undermining the raison d’etre of the NHS, argues Dr JOHN PUNTIS
US tariffs have had Von der Leyen bowing in submission, while comments from the former European Central Bank leader call for more European political integration and less individual state sovereignty. All this adds up to more pain and austerity ahead, argues NICK WRIGHT