Merkel Pushes Back on Vaccine Patent Waiver in Row With U.S. (1)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in against a U.S. proposal to waive patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, casting doubt on whether the idea has enough international support to become a reality.

The U.S. plan would create “severe complications” for the production of vaccines, a German government spokeswoman said Thursday in an email. Without the incentive of profits from research and development spending, drugmakers might not move as aggressively to make vaccines in the future, the industry has argued.

Pharmaceutical stocks that had sunk on the news of the U.S. proposal rebounded on Merkel’s stance. Moderna Inc. was down 2.1% after ...