Photo: Joe McUbed/Adobe Stock
The Covid-19 pandemic provided a significant real-world test of competing approaches to health access. During the pandemic, intellectual property (IP) was often targeted as a barrier to vaccines and treatments, though the most significant barriers to access most often stemmed from resource constraints, supply chain disruptions, regulatory bottlenecks, and lack of local infrastructure. By fostering predictable rules governing ownership, collaboration, and technology transfer, IP provides the institutional foundation upon which firms can invest, partner, and scale.
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