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Report on Patent Waiver Impact on Global COVID-19 Vaccine Access.

This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare a report assessing how waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines would affect global and U.S. access. The goal is to determine if such a waiver would genuinely increase vaccine availability or potentially harm production and research into new medicines.
Key points
The U.S. government must study if waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents will improve global access.
The report will assess the impact on vaccine manufacturing, supply chains, and investment in new drug research in the U.S.
If the report concludes that a waiver won't increase access or will have negative effects, the U.S. will oppose it.
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Status:
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Additional Information
Print number: 117_HR_3694
Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1]
Process start date: 2021-06-04
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
AI work logs for this document launch

OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative and other heads of Federal agencies, to submit to Congress a report on the impact of a waiver of certain obligations of member nations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on global COVID-19 vaccine access, and for other purposes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 117_HR_3694.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-06-04.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • The U.S. government must study if waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents will improve global access.
  • The report will assess the impact on vaccine manufacturing, supply chains, and investment in new drug research in the U.S.
  • If the report concludes that a waiver won't increase access or will have negative effects, the U.S. will oppose it.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-28.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Health Economy