The Biden administration has declared itself in favor of lifting intellectual property rights on vaccines intended to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The goal: to accelerate global production. The position was expressed Wednesday afternoon, May 5 by Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative..
“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measuressaid Mme Tai. The administration strongly believes in the protection of intellectual property, but in the service of the end of this pandemic, it supports the waiver of these protections for the Covid-19 vaccines. “
The United States were one of the main brakes on this lifting, first of all because they invented the decisive vaccines in the fight against the pandemic (Pfizer with the German laboratory BioNTech and Moderna) and that their research system, even funded largely by public power, is based on private intellectual property. “It’s a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization.
The concrete modalities of this lifting of intellectual property must be fixed by consensus within the World Trade Organization (WTO). “We will actively participate in the WTO negotiations to achieve this”, said Mme Tai. The organization was seized in October 2020 by India and South Africa, plagued since then by variants and an outbreak of the epidemic. About a hundred countries have supported this approach. During a negotiating session on Wednesday, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged member countries to continue negotiations ” to go forward “.
The pharmaceutical industry considers the decision “disappointing”
The subject was raised at the end of April during a telephone interview between President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last week, the US administration let it be known that it was making the necessary components for vaccination available to India. The subject of intellectual property is less sensitive in the United States at this stage of the epidemic, while there is no vaccination problem in the country.
“As our vaccine supply to the American people is secured, the administration will continue to intensify its efforts – in collaboration with the private sector and all possible partners – to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution. It will also work to increase the raw materials necessary for the production of these vaccines ”, added the statement from Katherine Tai.
You have 56.66% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
