Patent waiver not enough for vax rollout: WTO chief
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Nigeria s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala proposed as new WTO chief. Image Source: IANS News
Brussels, May 21 : World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has argued in favour of expanding Covid-19 vaccine production and ending export restrictions, saying that getting a patent waiver would not be enough.
She said this when answering a question on what measures are needed to accelerate equitable access to vaccines during a meeting of the European Parliament s Committee on Trade, Xinhua reported. Getting the Intellectual Property (IP) rights waiver for vaccines will not be enough, she said on Thursday.
World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has argued in favour of expanding Covid-19 vaccine production and ending export restrictions, saying that getting a patent waiver would not be enough. She said this when answering a question on what measures are needed to accelerate equitable access to vaccines during a meeting of the European Parliament s Committee on Trade, Xinhua reported. Getting the Intellectual Property (IP) rights waiver for vaccines will not be enough, she said on Thursday. Okonjo-Iweala listed three other routes, namely, reducing export restrictions and reinforcing supply chains for vaccines, working with manufacturers to expand production, and transferring the necessary technology and expertise to produce the complicated vaccines.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala addresses a meeting of the World Trade Organization's General Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 1, 2021. (WTO/Handout via Xinhua) Okonjo-Iweala listed three other routes, namely, reducing export restrictions and reinforcing supply chains for vaccines, working with manufacturers to expand production, and transferring the necessary technology and expertise to produce the complicated vaccines. BRUSSELS, May 20 (Xinhua) .