E-DRUG: US supports the Covid-19 TRIPS Waiver for vaccines; Now, technology
sharing must become a reality
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The United States Government announced on 5 May a bold move to drop its
opposition to the proposal to waive intellectual property rights related to
Covid-19 health products for the duration of the pandemic (?TRIPS waiver?),
first proposed by India and South Africa on 2 October 2020 at the World Trade
Organization. ?This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary
circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. The
Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in
service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for
Covid-19 vaccines. We will actively participate in text-based negotiations at
the World Trade Organization (WTO) needed to make that happen,? Ambassador
Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, said in a statement.
The US now supports the waiver, but so far for vaccines only. The announcement
represents the fulfilment of President Biden?s campaign promise that he would
not let intellectual property stand in the way of world-wide access to
vaccines. The US government also promised ? critically ? to increase access to
raw materials needed to produce those vaccines. ?The Administration?s aim is to
get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible,?
Tai said; an important piece of this will be ensuring that materials and
know-how are shared.
Read more...
https://medicineslawandpolicy.org/2021/05/us-supports-the-covid-19-trips-waiver-for-vaccines-now-technology-sharing-must-become-a-reality/
Carinne Bruneton
E-MED@healthnet.org
<carinne.bruneton@gmail.com>
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