Last Updated:
COVID-19: More Support Easing Vaccine Patent Rules, But Hurdles Remain
COVID-19: More support easing vaccine patent rules, but hurdles remain
Geneva, May 7(AP) Several world leaders have praised the US call to remove patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help poor countries obtain shots. But the proposal faces a multitude of hurdles, including resistance from the pharmaceutical industry. Nor is it clear what effect such a step might have on the campaign to vanquish the outbreak. Activists and humanitarian institutions cheered after the US reversed course Wednesday and called for a waiver of intellectual property protections on the vaccine.
The proposed temporary waiver was first suggested by India and South Africa at a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in October and is “gathering support from a large number of developing countries”, Reuters reports. The plan’s backers argue that making coronavirus jabs more widely available is a “vital step” in combating the global pandemic, says the news agency.
The US had previously withheld its support, however, alongside the EU, UK, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil and Norway. But now supporters of the waiver are hoping that “US leadership on the issue could help sway other holdouts”, following the change of heart by Joe Biden’s administration, says Al Jazeera.
Emmanuel Macron accused Anglo-Saxons of blocking vaccine exports today and hinted he could back plans to strip manufacturers of their patents to speed up delivery.
The French president, who has previously supported efforts by the EU to block exports to third-party nations, lashed out at the United States and the United Kingdom as he arrive at a summit in Portugal.
Britain is among a host of countries resisting calls led by US President Joe Biden and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to be waived to boost jab rates in poorer countries.
Those backing the waiver including Harry and Meghan say it would allow poorer countries to produce the jabs for themselves - but many countries are resisting it amid concerns it would hit competition and the overall fight against the pandemic.
May 7, 2021
GENEVA (AFP) – The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) expressed disappointment on Wednesday at the United States’ (US) decision to support a global waiver on patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
“As we have consistently stated, a waiver is the simple but the wrong answer to what is a complex problem,” the lobby group said in a statement, describing the US move as “disappointing”.
“Waiving patents of COVID-19 vaccines will not increase production nor provide practical solutions needed to battle this global health crisis,” it continued.
Instead, IFPMA argued, governments should be focussing on eliminating trade barriers as well as “addressing bottlenecks in supply chains and scarcity of raw materials and ingredients” for producing COVID-19 vaccines.
Listen to the story.
A member of the Paris Fire Brigade prepares a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a new vaccination center in Paris, May 6, 2021. France joined the United States on Thursday in supporting an easing of patent and other protections on COVID-19 vaccines that could help poorer countries get more doses and speed the end of the pandemic. Credit:
Share
Around the world, there was elation yesterday, when advocates learned that the Biden administration would support a waiver on intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. In other words, opening the door for countries and companies to make vaccines developed and patented by drug companies.