Activists stand outside Pfizer Headquarters demanding that U.S. President Joe Biden support “TRIPS Waiver”
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Sipa USA/Anthony Behar
Featured

Waiving patent and intellectual property protections is not a panacea for global vaccine distribution

Monica de Bolle (PIIE) and Maurice Obstfeld (PIIE)

The Biden administration’s temporary waiver of intellectual property (IP) rights on COVID-19 vaccines was a welcome step but will do little to control the pandemic quickly. Cumbersome bureaucratic procedures will delay rapid suspension of IP protections, and many developing countries lack the technical means to produce sophisticated vaccines, leaving them at the mercy of global supply chains.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics building is closed to staff and visitors until further notice. PIIE personnel are working remotely, with access to telephone messages.

Photo Credit: 
Sipa USA/Anthony Behar

Featured

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Bookstore

Facing Up to Low Productivity Growth

Facing Up to Low Productivity Growth

Edited by Adam S. Posen (PIIE) and Jeromin Zettelmeyer (PIIE)

February 2019
The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?

The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?

Nicholas R. Lardy (PIIE)

January 2019