The View | How a reliance on market forces undermines US attempts at vaccine diplomacy

As countries race to deliver their populations from the jaws of the Covid-19 Delta variant, the US is holding fast in its endorsement of vaccine donations and voluntary technology transfer as the solution for global recovery. But, with unequal procurement contracts and a reliance on market altruism impeding Washington’s foreign policy goals, is it time for a rethink?

US vaccine diplomacy harnesses public- and private-sector efforts. Health infrastructure financing aside, Washington is focusing on no-strings-attached vaccine donations. Companies so inclined are free to share their vaccine intellectual property and technical know-how.

Support for the World Trade Organization’s patent waiver notwithstanding, however, the Biden administration has not fully pressured domestic businesses to share technology. In particular, mRNA vaccines have become a flashpoint over their effectiveness and scalability, with Moderna thrust into the spotlight because of its taxpayer-funded shot.

This reluctance could be chalked up to insufficient human resources, which hampers companies’ ability to share technical expertise. However, the World Health Organization’s technology transfer hub initiative aims to address this by marshalling mRNA experts and transmitting that knowledge.

To date, the hubs have met the same fate as the earlier Covid-19 technology access pool, sitting bereft of contributions. Some degree of technology transfer has occurred via voluntary licensing. Whether these contracts significantly generate more vaccines for equitable distribution is debatable.