Geneva, May 28 (IANS) The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on member states to engage with vaccine manufacturers to encourage intellectual property
WHO restarts IP sharing scheme for Covid shots, drugs and tests
The World Health Organization is working to restart the intellectual property sharing scheme, as the shortage of vaccines threatens attempts to lift poorer countries out of the pandemic and as the debate over patents intensifies.
In a letter released Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada called on member states to contact IP manufacturers to promote IP sharing and technology transfer through the scheme.
“The most important priority for the global community is to stop the pandemic in its path, stop its rapid transmission and reverse the trend of global distress as a result,” they wrote. “We know that this goal can be achieved when everyone, anywhere, can access the health technologies they need to detect, prevent, treat and respond to Covid-19.”
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