›After US backs joint WTO proposal with S Africa: India hopeful of more support for Covid-19 vaccine IP waiver
After US backs joint WTO proposal with S Africa: India hopeful of more support for Covid-19 vaccine IP waiver
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After US backs joint WTO proposal with S Africa: India hopeful of more support for Covid-19 vaccine IP waiverBy
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The European Union, which had earlier opposed the proposal, said it’s ready to discuss the matter; French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “absolutely in favour”. Canada indicated backing while New Zealand said it strongly supported a Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver. “Many countries are showing signs of support we expect others to follow suit,” said an Indian official aware of details.
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US support for waiving COVID vaccine intellectual property is a huge step
Yesterday, the US Biden administration declared its support for waiving intellectual property rights, including patents, for COVID-19 vaccines.
Author Associate Professor in Public Health, La Trobe University
This decision represents a huge breakthrough in discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that have been deadlocked for more than six months.
Other nations that have so far resisted pressure to support the waiver are likely to fall like dominoes in the wake of the US in coming days.
Today, Australia’s trade minister Dan Tehan said the waiver “will be an important part of trying to get a resolution in the World Trade Organisation”, but it remains unclear whether Australia has unequivocally thrown its support behind the proposal.
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On May 5, 2021, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai signaled a potential new direction in U.S. trade policy, announcing that the United States would support waiving intellectual property (IP) protections for COVID-19 vaccines. In her statement, Ambassador Tai noted:
“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.”