US Asks to Extend Talks For New WTO Patent Waiver Into 2023 (1)

The US won’t agree to waive intellectual-property protections for Covid-19 treatments and tests this year -- aligning with developed-nation peers and delaying prospects for a World Trade Organization accord aimed at boosting global access to life-saving medicines.

On Tuesday, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the agency needs more information about the market dynamics for Covid diagnostics and therapeutics, and plans to ask the US International Trade Commission to launch an investigation into the matter.

“Real questions remain on a range of issues, and the additional time, coupled with information from the USITC, will help the world make a more ...