US reverses stance, backs giving poorer countries access to vaccine patents

President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers and more than 100 other countries, but angering pharmaceutical companies.

Biden voiced his support for a temporary waiver - a sharp reversal of the previous US position - after a speech at the White House, followed swiftly by an official statement from his chief trade negotiator, Katherine Tai.