OPPI warns against vaccine patent waiver Top Searches OPPI warns against vaccine patent waiver TNN / Updated: May 12, 2021, 06:19 IST FacebookTwitterLinkedinEMail Representative image MUMBAI: Waiving of intellectual property (IP) rights will neither lead to higher production of vaccines or their increased deployment to fight Covid, since that is not the barrier to ensure availability of vaccines in India, according to the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers (OPPI), a body representing pharma MNCs. It warned that a waiver of patents could impact patient safety by opening doors for counterfeit vaccines to enter the supply chain. The statement follows a drastic turnaround of the US recently supporting a waiver of IP on Covid vaccines. India and South Africa are engaged jointly at the World Trade Organization for a patient waiver submitted in October last year for all Covid medical tools. Recently, faced with crucial vaccines shortages and key Covid drugs, there has been demand from patent and health activists to suspend patents on them, to improve their accessibility and affordability.