European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday suggested that EU nations discuss the pricing of coronavirus vaccine licensing, in addition to patenting
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th May, 2021) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday suggested that EU nations discuss the pricing of coronavirus vaccine licensing, in addition to patenting.
"We should ... discuss widely the question of licensing and the price of licensing. But again this is something which will not bring within the next months or the next year more vaccines and we need vaccines now," she told a news conference after an informal EU summit in Portugal.
EU leaders debated the US proposal to suspend vaccine patents as a way to increase global supply. Von der Leyen said the bloc was ready to go into that discussion but warned that the EU would look at it from a long-term perspective.
The commission chief also suggested that countries who already produce COVID-19 vaccines on a large scale should share their stock. The US has effectively blocked vaccine exports in a bid to meet the domestic demand.
