Original version

BBC World Service Online

Business Matters

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Money

Global business and finance news and discussion from the BBC

Global business and finance news and discussion from the BBC.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

Business Matters: Biden administration backs lifting vaccine patent protections

European Union updates industrial strategy

06/05/2021 GMT

Biden administration backs lifting vaccine patent protections

BBC World Service - Business Matters, Biden administration backs lifting vaccine patent protections

The move has been lauded as a breakthrough in efforts to combat coronavirus

The potential waiving of intellectual property protections has been lauded as a breakthrough for international efforts to combat coronavirus

The US government has backed a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines in a move likely to enrage the pharmaceutical industry, which strongly opposes a so-called waiver. Shares of the major coronavirus vaccine companies were hit by the announcement but is it just an empty gesture? We speak to Jorge Contreras, Chair of the Open Covid Pledge, a group that is lobbying organisations to share their patents and copyrights in relation to vaccine efforts. We also hear from Thomas Cueni, of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations. And there's no status update for Donald Trump anytime soon; Facebook decides to uphold it's ban of the former US president. We speak to Issie Lapowsky, Senior Reporter at tech site Protocol. Also in the programme, college sports in the United States are a big business, but the athletes taking part have typically been compensated through scholarships rather than salaries. But could that change? The BBC's Will Bain reports. Plus, the Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has launched a scheme in the UK to buy unwanted furniture back from its customers, in a bid to save items from going to landfill. Hege Saebjornsen is the company's sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland explains how it works. And we're joined throughout the programme by Tony Nash, chief economist at Complete Intelligence in Texas and the writer, Rachel Cartland in Hong Kong.

(Picture: coronavirus vaccine. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Business Matters

Biden administration backs lifting vaccine patent protections

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service