Intellectual property versus health care

ABSTRACT

There are various challenges that must be overcome before the COVID-19 epidemic may be contained on a worldwide scale. The protection of one's intellectual property is of the utmost importance. Instead of ultimately addressing this issue in the current health emergency, many actors in industry and politics are persistently refusing to accept any modification of patent rights. This is despite the fact that the issue is a public health emergency. This article discusses the role that patents play in the health care industry and how they have become a barrier to the widespread protection of public health during a pandemic emergency, particularly in the development of vaccines.