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.
Carinne Bruneton
E-MED@healthnet.org
<carinne.bruneton@gmail.com>