Vaccine maker BioNTech says no need to waive patents

The head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said Monday that there is no need to waive patents on coronavirus vaccines because manufacturers will be able to produce enough shots to supply the world over the coming year.

Ugur Sahin, the chief executive of BioNTech, rejected the U.S.-backed proposal to temporarily lift some intellectual property rights for vaccines in order to boost global supply during the ongoing pandemic.

In a call with investors announcing the company’s first-quarter net profit of 1.13 billion euros ($1.37 billion), Sahin said BioNTech and its U.S....