Should IP Rights Be Suspended for COVID Vaccines? A Q&A With University of Houston's Sapna Kumar
Though she considers herself "far from a pharmaceutical industry apologist," Kumar sees a few reasons to be skeptical of the broad waiver that India, South Africa and other countries are seeking from the WTO's TRIPS agreement.
April 28, 2021 at 09:18 PM
10 minute read
The World Trade Organization's Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights is meeting Friday to consider a proposal that would allow member states to broadly waive IP rights in COVID-19 vaccines and therapies. The waiver would cover not only patent rights but also manufacturing know-how that pharmaceutical companies consider trade secrets. The proposal is supported by India, which is in the grip of a severe COVID-19 crisis, as well as South Africa and many other low- and middle-income countries. The United States and the European Union are among those opposed, although the Biden administration appears to be pressuring drug companies toward some sort of compromise. (The Biden administration announced late Wednesday it would send $100 million in supplies to India, including its order of AstraZeneca vaccine material.)
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