consensus among member states. The European Commission
said it would begin discussions on waivers but Germany, home to BioNTech, the firm that created the vaccine being marketed by Pfizer, said it
opposed a waiver because “the protection of the intellectual property is a source of innovation and must remain so”.
However, the Indian government has taken a different line domestically: At a hearing in India’s Supreme Court this month, the court asked the government whether it intended to issue any compulsory licenses to companies to manufacture drugs like remdesivir that are being used for Covid-19 treatment.
The government reportedly
Read more about Patent waver for Covid vaccine without tech transfer won t speed up supply on Business Standard. Intellectual property rights (IPR) on drugs and vaccine formulae give creators an exclusive right over inventions for a certain period of time, and prevent pharmaceutical companies from making it.
Vaccine waivers alone can’t solve India’s vaccine crisis
But they might help
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India never should have been in this position. The government is currently engaged in international disputes over vaccine waivers and intellectual property rights, while a horrific and record-setting surge of COVID-19 cases continues to devastate its population. The country’s recent vaccine policies opening vaccination for all above the age of 18 while reeling under severe shortage, allowing the private sectors to sell the vaccine at market prices, and leaving the states to procure vaccines themselves have been strongly criticized by public health experts and its Supreme Court.