HHS Shelters Drug, Device Makers From Liability Combating Virus

Drug and device manufacturers will be protected from the threat of legal liability as they work to combat the new coronavirus through vaccines and testing, the health agency said in a declaration.

The document waives liability for manufacturers working on ways to combat Covid-19, including diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines. The legal safeguard, which doesn’t include willful misconduct, is intended to create incentives for additional work on the pandemic and protect companies who took an early gamble in working to produce lab tests and vaccines.

The Department of Health and Human Services is waiving all liability for “the manufacture, testing, development, ...