Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, PhD, thinks waiving patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines could ignite a global race to procure the raw materials needed to efficiently produce the shots, he wrote in a May 7 LinkedIn post.
Dr. Bourla's commentary came two days after U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the U.S. will support waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines to expedite global vaccine production as the pandemic continues to rage in India and South America.
He said Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing was hindered by a scarcity of 280 specialized raw materials sourced from 19 different countries, an issue he fears will be greatly exacerbated if other companies are welcome to compete for them.
"Right now, virtually every single gram of raw material produced is shipped immediately into our manufacturing facilities and is converted immediately and reliably to vaccines that are shipped immediately around the world," Dr. Bourla wrote.