International humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) on Wednesday urged rich countries to stop opposing a patent waiver plan that could boost the production of coronavirus vaccines globally, reported Al Jazeera.
The appeal comes as the World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries are set to meet virtually for informal talks on Thursday to discuss a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for producing COVID-19 vaccines and other medical tools. The waiver would allow multiple actors to begin production sooner, instead of having manufacturing concentrated in the hands of a small number of patent holders.
The countries proposing the waiver proposal claim that the temporary suspension would allow for more production of COVID-19 jabs without breaking international rules under the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
But, the proposal, originally submitted in October by India and South Africa, has received staunch opposition from several rich and developed member countries, such as the United States and the European Union countries, which are home to major drug-making companies.
Dr. Maria Guevara, the international medical secretary of MSF, on Wednesday, urged the countries to reconsider their opposition to the plan.
“In this COVID-19 pandemic, we are once again faced with issues of scarcity, which can be addressed through diversification of manufacturing and supply capacity and ensuring the temporary waiver of relevant intellectual property,” she said.
Dr. Guevara went on to urge all countries in opposition to the waiver proposal, including the US and the EU, to stand on the right side of history and join hands with those in support.
“It is about saving lives at the end, not protecting systems,” the MSF official said.
The countries opposing the patent waiver plan want to maintain the trade secrets of vaccines, claiming that current WTO rules are already flexible enough to support global vaccine supply. They have also argued that suspending IP rights would threaten innovation by discouraging future investments.
