US Patent Reform Legislation Threatened By Biden Support For Vaccine IP Waiver, Republicans Say

At hearing on Humira patent thicket, House Republicans express concern that Democrats’ support for transferring US intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines to other countries is a bad sign for collaboration on legislation to reform patent abuses.

AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez held his own against Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter at a 18 May hearing on AbbVie's patents. • Source: photo illustration/screenshots, shutterstock

Congressional Republican support for bipartisan reforms to the US patent system for prescription drugs has been undercut by President Biden’s support for a waiver of intellectual property protections on COVID vaccines as part of the global response to the pandemic, according to House Oversight and Reform Committee ranking member James Comer, KY.

His comments suggest a broader fallout from Biden’s announcement earlier this month that it would pursue an IP waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, a prospect that was met with dismay from biopharma

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