EXTRAORDINARY situations demand extraordinary decisions. In the face of the devastating pandemic, the US proposal to remove patent protection for Covid-19 vaccines has significant implications for vaccine production as a whole.
On May 5, 2021, US President Joe Biden mooted the idea of a temporary suspension of patent protection of Covid-19 vaccines. The new US government has projected an image of it being a messiah of health equality by taking the side of poorer countries and many international aid organisations. It wants pharmaceutical companies to temporarily waive proprietary intellectual protection of their corona vaccines. Resultantly, manufacturers all over the world could produce the vaccines without paying license fees to big pharma giants like Pfizer. Influential Democrats, including Vice-President Kamla Harris, have supported this idea of global health equity to end the crisis.
Biden’s move has been met with dismay by Germany, the EU Commission and leading pharmaceutical companies. Manufacturing countries have signalled their willingness for an open dialogue and discussion with WTO in the light of the radical change in the stand of the US government.
So far, the US and several other countries, along with vaccine manufacturers at WTO, had blocked a plan promoted by India and South Africa to enable greater vaccine production in developing countries by restricting the intellectual property rights only to giant pharmaceutical companies.
Bu hikaye India Legal dergisinin May 24, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye India Legal dergisinin May 24, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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