WTO eyes larger deal on vaccine, medical goods
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The multilateral body, which sets global trade rules, has been discussing a proposal from India and South Africa for flexibility in the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) so that countries can access technology for vaccine production, especially when the poorer nations, especially in Africa, are finding it difficult.
New York Times
“Transparency is crucial and that’s something that drug companies aren’t very keen on,” a source said.
(This story originally appeared in on Apr 22, 2021)The World Trade Organization (WTO) is looking to go beyond India and South Africa’s proposal on flexibility in patents for vaccines to discuss a possible larger deal on health that includes unhindered movement of vaccines across customs checkpoints and free shipment of medical goods and material across borders to combat Covid.
International medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has urged rich countries to stop blocking a patent waiver plan that could boost the global production of coronavirus vaccines.
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will meet virtually for informal talks on Thursday to discuss a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for producing COVID-19 vaccines and other coronavirus-related medical tools for the duration of the pandemic.
Sponsors of the waiver argue that the temporary suspension would allow more factories worldwide to produce jabs without breaking international rules under the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
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A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. [REUTERS/Dado Ruvic]
To date, eight Covid-19 vaccines have been approved for use globally.
The duel to make vaccines and adjacent technologies more accessible underscores the struggle between intellectual property rights and the right to health. Now more than ever, these innovator companies are under enormous commercial pressure to up-scale and meet immediate demand.
This will be attained by liaising with competitors and generic manufacturers through voluntary licences, contracted production and technology transfer. However, there is a threefold challenge to global coronavirus vaccine access; advance in-surplus purchases by high income countries, production capacity and lack of access for non-industrialised countries.