German firm BioNTech has said that patent protection for Covid-19 vaccines is not holding back production or supply of the jabs that it developed with Pfizer.

“Patents are not the limiting factor for the production or supply of our vaccine. They would not increase the global production and supply of vaccine doses in the short and middle term,” it told AFP in a statement, in a tacit rejection of a call from the United States to waive patent protections for Covid vaccines.

Rather it was issues ranging from the set up of manufacturing sites to the sourcing of raw materials to the availability of qualified personnel that were holding up the process.

“If any of these requirements is not met, the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine cannot be ensured by the manufacturer nor the innovator. This could put the health of the vaccinees at risk,” warned the company.