Covid, Biden: 70% of vaccinated adults by 4 July
Seven out of ten citizens of the G7 countries: "Multinationals renounce patents on covid vaccines"
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06 May 2021A turning point that many hoped for but that very few believed really possible.
The Biden administration has said it supports efforts to lift intellectual property safeguards for Covid-19 vaccines to accelerate the end of the pandemic.
This was reported by the US trade representative, Katherine Tai, announcing the position of the US government.
"The administration strongly believes in intellectual property protections, but to end this pandemic it supports the lifting of these protections for vaccines against Covid-19," Tai said, while discussions are underway at the WTO on easing global trade rules to allow more countries to produce more life-saving vaccines, but Tai warned that it will take time to reach the consensus required to revoke patents under WTO rules.
"This is a global health crisis and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," continued Tai, noting that "the purpose of the administration is to provide as many safe and effective vaccines as possible to as many people. as fast as possible". The announcement came hours after WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spoke at a closed-door meeting of developing and developed country ambassadors who quarreled over the issue but agreed on the need for wider access to coronavirus treatments, WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell said.
The WTO general council, made up of ambassadors, is addressing the key issue of a temporary revocation of patents for Covid-19 vaccines and other tools, which South Africa and India first proposed in October. According to Rockwell, a WTO intellectual property panel will have to deal with the proposal again at a preliminary meeting this month, ahead of a formal meeting scheduled for June 8 and 9.
WHO: "Monumental moment in the fight against covid"
A change of pace that is greeted with enthusiasm by those fighting the pandemic on the front line. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cheered on Twitter and expressed praise for the US administration's commitment to President Joe Biden in a statement. "This is a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19. The commitment of United States President Joe Biden and Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Representative for Trade, to support the renunciation of intellectual property protection on vaccines is a powerful example of American leadership in addressing global health challenges, "said Tedros. "I congratulate the United States on their historic decision for fairnessvaccines and the priority of the well-being of all people everywhere at a critical time. Now let's all move together quickly, in solidarity, based on the ingenuity and commitment of the scientists who produced the life-saving Covid-19 vaccines ".
The WHO Director General added: "The White House's support for the temporary renunciation of intellectual property on Covid-19 vaccines reflects the wisdom and moral leadership of the United States in working to end this pandemic. But I'm not surprised. from this announcement. This is what I expected from President Biden's administration. " Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has been working with partners to increase the development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments through the COVID-19 tool access accelerator, a pillar of which it is the COVAX Facility for equitable sharing of vaccines to people at risk around the world.
The pharmaceutical companies: "Simple but wrong answer to a complex problem "
The reaction of the industry giants was in the opposite direction. The US decision is "disappointing". This is what the Ifpma, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Companies based in Geneva, claims. "We are totally in line with the goal that vaccines are rapidly and fairly distributed around the world. But as we have repeated many times, a suspension is the simple but wrong answer to a complex problem," reads a statement.