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Germany has voiced opposition to a US-backed proposal to waive patents on Covid-19 vaccines, saying they were not hindering production of the jabs.

Its government said “the protection of intellectual property is a source of innovation and must remain so”.

The European Union earlier said it was ready to talk about the proposal, and some states gave it their full backing.

Supporters of the plan say it would allow more manufactures to produce the life-saving vaccines.

They argue that this will increase access to jabs in poorer countries.

But opponents, including drug makers, say it may not have the desired effect.

The idea was originally proposed by India and South Africa, who have been leading a group of about 60 countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO) — an intergovernmental body that promotes global commerce.

The group is pushing for the temporary removal of intellectual property protections on vaccines.

The idea was met with strong opposition from the previous US administration of Donald Trump, as well as the UK and the EU.

But it gained momentum this week after the US backed it.

In a statement on Thursday, the German government said the US-backed proposal would have “significant implications for vaccine production as a whole”.

“The limiting factors in the production of vaccines are the production capacities and the high quality standards and not patents,” it said, adding that pharmaceutical companies were already working with partners to ramp up manufacturing.

Germany is the EU’s biggest economic power and home to a major pharmaceutical sector, including BioNTech which developed one of the most widely-used coronavirus vaccines.

The remarks by the German government came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was “ready to discuss” the proposal on waiving patents.

Ms von der Leyen has previously spoken about her opposition to lifting intellectual property rights, telling the New York Times just weeks ago that she was “not at all a friend of releasing patents”.

Meanwhile, officials in other member states such as France and Italy gave the proposal their full backing.

The issue is reportedly set to be on the agenda at a two-day EU meeting this week.

Outside of the EU, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supported the idea of a waiver.

The UK government said it was “working with WTO members to resolve this issue” and was “in discussions with the US and WTO members to facilitate increased production and supply of Covid-19 vaccines”.

Intellectual property describes creations, such as inventions, which are protected by patents, copyrights and trademarks.

These prevent copying and allow the originator to be financially rewarded.

Patents give innovating firms a short-term monopoly on production to cover the costs of development and encourage investment.

Biotech firms argue that such protection has provided incentives to produce Covid vaccines in record times. — BBC