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Africa should tackle failures in technology sharing Universities in Africa must be more vocal about the failures of higher education institutions in the Global North to challenge the status quo of innovation- and technology-sharing that is denying millions access to life-saving treatments, Sarai Keestra, a research coordinator of the Universities Allied for Essential Medicines in the United Kingdom has told University World News. In an e-mail exchange following a commentary she wrote in BMJ Global Health she said: “African universities can hold universities in the Global North to account ...

BY FEMI FALANA The most telling lesson of the coronavirus pandemic is that “no one is safe until everyone is safe.” It is an indisputable proof of our biological connectedness which is even more consequential for life and livelihood than the digital connectivity that is the buzz word of the millennials. As it happens in any pandemic, the coronavirus does not respect geo-political boundaries; neither is it restricted by socio-economic and cultural divides. The virus infects the poor and the rich alike. It overwhelms developed countries and underdeveloped countries despite the sophisticatio...

By Parsa Erfani, Lawrence O. Gostin, and Vanessa Kerry May 19, 2021Reprints CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images The Biden administration’s announcement to support an intellectual property (IP) waiver for Covid-19 vaccines was a monumental step toward improving the access to them in low- and middle-income countries. But without further action, it will be little more than a symbol. The waiver allows companies to produce Covid-19 vaccines without fear of being sued by the entity that holds the IP for the technology. It had been backed by more than 100 countries and by 110 members of the U....

Such calls are well intentioned. Countries like the US and the UK have surged ahead with their vaccinations, cutting their deaths and hospitalizations dramatically. Meanwhile, India is in the throes of a catastrophic second wave as it struggles to vaccinate its enormous population. I've practiced patent law for 20 years. In that time I've managed the worldwide patent portfolio for Prevnar 13, the world's top-selling vaccine before COVID-19, before it was acquired by Pfizer. I've worked with scientists and executives to determine the best avenues for protecting vaccine components and manufactu...

More than 120 countries throughout the world have already done so.