Top US senators ask Pfizer, Moderna, J&J for global access to vaccines, including in India
WASHINGTON, Apr 29: As India faces a catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak, five top Democratic senators wrote to Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, seeking global access to vaccines, including technology transfer.
“COVID-19 has infected over 148 million people and killed over three million globally, with hundreds of thousands of new cases and thousands of deaths being reported daily,” the five senators wrote in identical letters to the CEOs of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday.
Senators Elizabeth Warren, Edward J Markey, Tammy Baldwin, Jeffrey A Merkley, and Christopher Murphy said India is a major producer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and has exported over 66 million doses globally since January 2021.
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Explainer: Why is India calling for IP rules around Covid vaccines to be waived?
The World Trade Organization will meet again today to discuss the proposal. By Ian Curran Friday 30 Apr 2021, 6:30 AM 4 hours ago 13,637 Views 14 Comments
A mess cremation of Covid-19 victims in New Delhi.
Image: SIPA USA/PA Images
A mess cremation of Covid-19 victims in New Delhi.
Image: SIPA USA/PA Images
AS VIRUS CASES and death tolls linked to Covid-19 continue to spiral in the global South, particularly in India, the World Trade Organization will meet today basis to discuss a proposal to waive intellectual property (IP) rules around vaccines.
Pressure mounts on US pharma giants to share vaccine technology as world losing out to Covid-19
Pressure mounts on US pharma giants to share vaccine technology as world losing out to Covid-19
Last Updated: Thu, Apr 29th, 2021, 20:20:21hrs
Five prominent Democratic Senators dashed off a letter to Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday to voluntary share their technology as there is an acute shortage of vaccines in other countries including India.
The Joe Biden administration is considering a proposed waiver of intellectual property rights as one of the options for ramping up production of Covid-19 vaccines amid the acute shortage of doses worldwide , but no decision has been made as yet, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
An amendment calling on the EU to back India and South Africa’s proposal to temporary lift intellectual property rights for the COVID-19 vaccine was rejected by the European Parliament on Thursday (29 April).
The question of suspending IP rights for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines was first tabled by India and South Africa in a proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) which was backed by around 100 other countries.
According to the proponents, an IP waiver for vaccine patents could speed up vaccine access in poorer countries.
The waiver would cover obligations in four sections of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) that involves copyright and related rights, industrial designs, patents and the protection of undisclosed information.