The lobbying group that represents several top pharmaceutical companies last month quietly launched a campaign against President Joe Biden and his decision to back waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA, is a political advocacy group that represents more than 30 pharmaceutical firms, including Covid vaccine makers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Late last month it started running a digital ad campaign on Facebook and Google targeting Biden’s decision, a CNBC search of the companies’ ad archives revealed.
While PhRMA blasted the Biden administration’s move shortly after the announcement, the group didn’t officially announce a campaign against the waiver push. The details of the effort had yet to be reported.
Proponents of waiving patent protections say it allows poorer nations to ramp up production of the Covid vaccine.
After publication of this story, a PhRMA spokesperson released this statement to CNBC:
“Biopharmaceutical research companies are committed to achieving equitable access around the world to COVID-19 vaccines, and that is why we’re educating policymakers and the public about our ongoing efforts to increase vaccine supply for global demand, the risks of waiving intellectual property protections, and the need to address the real issues driving vaccine inequity.”
PhRMA’s ads on Google call out Biden by name.
“Biden’s Harmful Vaccine Stance,” reads one of the Google ads reviewed by CNBC. “Biden’s Damaging IP Stance,” reads another Google spot.
