In what could be a major gamechanger in the fight to secure the widest possible global access to COVID-19 vaccines , the Biden administration has signaled that it will push through negotiations in the WTO to lift intellectual property protection for the vaccines
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released a statement announcing the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
The full statement is as follows:
“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines. We will actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) needed to make that happen. Those negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature
The United States has reversed its stance on sharing the Intellectual Property (IP) rights for COVID-19 vaccines, allowing poorer countries access to the vaccines patents. This is welcome news for the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden-Harris Administration announced it supports the temporary waiving of patent rights to seriously ramp up vaccine production worldwide and save as many lives as possible.
“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. “The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
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HEREâS WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
MANILA, Philippines â The president of the Philippines is asking China to take back 1,000 doses of donated Sinopharm vaccine after facing criticism for receiving a shot even though it has not yet been authorized for public use in the country.
The Philippine health secretary injected Duterte with the coronavirus vaccine Monday. An unspecified number of Duterteâs guards have also been injected with the Sinopharm vaccine in secrecy.
The president apologized but says his use of the Chinese vaccine was recommended by his doctors and did not breach any regulation because it was covered by a âcompassionate useâ exemption.
In what could be a major gamechanger in the fight to secure the widest possible global access to COVID-19 vaccines , the Biden administration has signaled that it will push through negotiations in the WTO to lift intellectual property protection for the vaccines
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released a statement announcing the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
The full statement is as follows:
“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines. We will actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) needed to make that happen. Those negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature
United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai. File
| Photo Credit:
AFP
The news will support the increased production of vaccines globally as countries, including India, continue to reel under the impact of the pandemic.
The United States will support an initiative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) protection for COVID-19 vaccines, the Biden administration said on Wednesday. The news will support the increased production of vaccines globally as countries, including India, continue to reel under the impact of the pandemic. The initiative was first floated by India and South Africa last October.