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US Trade Representative has announced support for the corona vaccine's intellectual property exemption. It is a positive announcement in the sense that if the intellectual property rights held by US pharmaceutical companies are temporarily waived, more countries will be able to make the vaccine, which could lead to a breathing in the vaccine supply. However, until the actual intellectual property rights are exempted and the vaccine supply is expanded, there will be a lot of acidity and it will take quite a while.



This is Kim Soo-hyung, correspondent from Washington.



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US Trade Representative, USTR CEO Catherine Thai, announced a statement on Twitter.



The US government has announced that it "supports vaccine intellectual property exemption to end the corona pandemic."



He explained that emergency measures are necessary in the emergency department.



As the criticism of the vaccine sweeping controversy has risen, it will seek ways to expand supply through exemption from intellectual property rights.



[Jen Saki/White House Spokesperson: We are experiencing a global corona pandemic. Our goal is to provide the world with as many vaccines as possible as quickly as possible with the most cost savings.]



Mr. Thai presupposed that the WTO's negotiations for waiver of vaccine IPRs will take time.



The White House also explained that it would take months.



[Jen Saki/White House Spokesperson: The whole process (on vaccine IP exemption) will be underway at the World Trade Organization. It looks like it will take months for the decision to come out. The procedure is the way it is originally.] The



problem is that the WTO decision also takes a considerable amount of time, and there is also the possibility of litigation by a bunch of pharmaceutical companies that are strongly opposed to the exemption of intellectual property rights.



It may not be of immediate help to the urgent vaccine supply.



Moreover, as the Republican Party of the United States is opposing the waiver of intellectual property rights by pharmaceutical companies, it is likely that pain will be inevitable going forward.