Patented Vaccines: Is Waiving The Way Forward?

More than a year has passed since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province in China. The world, as we know it, has had to adopt and adapt to a "new normal". Wearing a face mask, sanitising your hands, and keeping social distance are common mantras that we hear from most governments and health organisations.
 
When word of COVID-19 hit the news in December 2019, drug makers around the world rose to the challenge of finding a vaccine to bring an end to this pandemic. The big boys in the pharmaceutical industry, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE announced in December 2020 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had authorised the emergency use of the mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2, against COVID-19, in individuals 16 years of age or older. In the same month, authorisation for the temporary supply of BNT162b2 was granted in the United Kingdom. Health experts opined that vaccination is the most effective medical