Germany on Thursday rejected a U.S. proposal to waive patent protection for coronavirus vaccines, saying the greatest constraints on production were not intellectual property but increasing capacity and ensuring quality.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday voiced support for a waiver in a sharp reversal of the U.S. position, and his top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, swiftly backed negotiations at the World Trade Organization.

The German government stood behind the goal of a worldwide supply of Covid-19 vaccines, a government spokeswoman said, adding however that the main factors in vaccine production are capacity and quality standards, and not patents.