By Patrick Goodenough | May 6, 2021 | 4:24am EDT
A medical worker holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo by Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – President Biden’s decision Wednesday to support the temporary waiver of intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines follows appeals by Democrats arguing that it will help end the global pandemic more quickly, but some Republicans warn it could mean handing over critical American IP to adversaries like China and Russia.
Welcoming the move, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended what he called a “historic decision for vaccine equity and prioritizing the well-being of all people everywhere at a critical time.”
US Noncommittal on Vaccine Patents Waiver
May 06, 2021
A health worker inoculates a man with the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine on the outskirts of Kathmandu on March 7, 2021. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
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Amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in India and other parts of the world, the United States remains noncommittal on an October 2020 proposal by India and South Africa to waive certain provisions of the World Trade Organization s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
The proposal would loosen patent restrictions so that countries can manufacture generic versions of the coronavirus vaccines. We are working with our global partners to explore pragmatic and effective steps to surge production and equitable distribution of vaccines, a United States Trade Representative (USTR) official told VOA.
In a break from longstanding US policy, President Joe Biden’s administration has backed a proposal that would temporarily lift intellectual property (IP) rights for COVID-19 vaccines.
The “monumental” decision, as described by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief, raised hopes for developing nations struggling with vaccine supply but was met with anger from the pharmaceutical industry.
If approved, the waiver would theoretically allow drugmakers around the world to produce coronavirus jabs without the risk of being sued for breaking IP rules. Lengthy negotiations are expected before a consensus can be reached at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Here is all you need to know.
11 The governments of South Africa, India, and dozens of other developing countries are calling for the rights on intellectual property (IP), including Covid vaccine patents, to be waived to accelerate the worldwide production of supplies to fight COVID-19.
The governments of South Africa, India, and dozens of other developing countries are calling for intellectual property (IP) rights, including vaccine patents, to be waived to accelerate the worldwide production of supplies to fight Covid-19. They are absolutely correct. IP for fighting Covid-19 should be waived, and indeed actively shared among scientists, companies and nations.
The pharmaceutical industry and the governments of several vaccine-producing countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission, have been resisting the IP waiver, while 150 public leaders and experts have sent an open letter to US President Joe Biden in support of it. There is no l