President Biden's announcement on suspending patents is a massive breakthrough in the campaign for a #PeoplesVaccine 1/

The moral case for putting scaling up vaccine production before corporate profits has been clear for many months. And it has only become more urgent as the grotesquely unequal global vaccine rollout has taken place. 2/

Yet despite all our efforts, it was never certain that all the scaremongering by the powerful big pharma lobby could be overcome. So we should not underestimate how significant this step is. 3/

Vaccine factories are lying idle around the world because big pharma refuses to share its blueprints. Now the US has taken the first step towards forcing these companies to work with others to bring this pandemic to an end as rapidly as possible. 4/

There is a long way to go. Other rich countries blocking the #TRIPSwaiver like the UK still need to flip. WTO negotiations must be open and transparent. But this could be the beginning of the end of vaccine apartheid. 5/

It couldn't have happened without millions of people around the world demanding it. So a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has been part of the campaign so far. And let's keep going! 6/