Pfizer’s Africa Vaccine Deal Raises Questions on IP Waiver Plan

Pfizer Inc.‘s Covid-19 vaccine-making deal with an African distributor is expected to make a much-needed mark on global immunization efforts, but some health policy experts say such partnerships aren’t enough to take the place of an international waiver of vaccine rights.

South Africa’s Biovac institute will help produce more than 100 million doses annually of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine across African nations. The agreement fits into a larger trend of major pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. teaming up to meet global vaccine demands as infections surge.

Yet policy watchers argue the latest deal ...