Innovation and IP’s Role in Combatting the Covid-19 Pandemic

How have the U.S. and global life-sciences innovation ecosystems been so successful in facilitating the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics to help global society navigate the pandemic? The answer begins with decades of U.S. investment in basic and applied research and development (R&D), human talent, scientific infrastructure, research universities, and manufacturing innovation. Abetted by international partners, the U.S. environment for life-science innovation is supported by factors such as robust intellectual property (IP) rights and effective technology transfer policies. For instance, the global community marshalled the power of a remarkable collective resource to rapidly address a truly global challenge such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

ITIF and the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted two expert panels exploring how innovation and IP have proved to be instrumental in overcoming the COVID pandemic. The first panel addressed IP issues related to global production, distribution, and access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. The panel examined issues such as the WTO TRIPS COVID-19 IP waiver and the role of IP in facilitating licensed manufacturing of COVID drugs. The second panel examined the ecosystem, partners, and technologies that have underpinned U.S. and global efforts to develop effective mRNA and related types of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as therapeutics, diagnostics, and other components.