The world is far from having the Covid-19 vaccines it would need to vaccinate the entire
population. Now, over 100 nations are pressing for a temporary
patent waiver at the WTO to help speed up production.
Some have suggested pharma companies are prioritising profits over lives. And proponents of the
waiver demand knowhow and technology be shared in the emergency that is the pandemic.
But a string of wealthy countries are opposing it. And some say even if a waiver was put
in place, it would not help vaccine production.
There are 7.8 billion people living in a world in the grips of the pandemic.
And vaccines for only around 650 million of them. Produced and distributed by only a handful
of large pharmaceutical companies and, so far, distributed mostly to rich countries
of the world.
To change that, countries like India and South Africa are urging the World Trade Organization
to introduce a temporary patent waiver for producing COVID-19 vaccines. The idea is to
allow other countries to make their own versions of vaccines and scale up production. Something
they say is essential to win the race against time with a mutating virus.
But so far, without success.
The UK, US and the EU are among those blocking the waiver. And major pharma companies are
opposing it too.
So why wont they budge?
Are we prolonging the pandemic because pharma companies want the big bucks - or is it more
complicated?
Five major COVID-19 vaccine producers account for over 90 percent of all vaccines produced
globally. It’s projected companies will scale up massively by the end of 2021, but
proponents of the waiver say production needs to happen faster, especially in light of boosters
or new vaccines we may need to tackle a mutating virus.
You know, patents were never supposed to be implemented during emergencies like a pandemic.
The purpose of this waiver is to make sure that countries everywhere can increase production
and generate enough supply to meet the demand that is increasing so rapidly.
Over 100 nations led by India and South Africa are asking the WTO for a temporary suspension
of certain patent rules enshrined in the so-called TRIPS agreement, short for “Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights”.
To put it simply, supporters say a patent waiver would help overcome certain legal barriers
preventing them from producing their own vaccines
They also argue the waiver could be a first step towards distributing vaccines more equally.
For now, over 80 percent of all vaccines have gone into the arms of people in rich and middle
income countries.
And NGOs have estimated that 9 in 10 people in 70 countries wont receive a jab this year.
In fact, many predict that most poor countries will not achieve mass vaccination until 2024.
Supporters of the waiver also argue more manufacturers in more countries could drive prices down.
Astra Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson have vowed to provide vaccines on a non-for-profit basis
during the pandemic, but Moderna and Pfizer for example have not. Pfizer is charging 39$
in the US and around 37$ in the EU for two jabs. Prices that are set to rise even further
in 2022 and which are essentially unpayable for poorer countries.
Nobody is saying that they shouldn’t make any profits from the pandemic. And in fact,
the companies are making lots of money.
These will be like among the biggest selling products in the world for anything. These
are massive amounts of money
If you open up the licensing so that more people can use the intellectual property,
it doesn't mean that you don't get anything. It just means that you just don't have a monopoly.
The monopoly is inappropriate in a pandemic.
One government that's signalled it may rethink its opposition to the waiver is the Biden
administration. Outside pressure on the US has been mounting.
Over 170 former heads of state and Nobel laureates as well as a series of US lawmakers and global
organizations have called on the US government to reverse its veto.
It's the rich country governments that have been opposing the waiver in the WTO. If the
US administration and President Biden agree to stop opposing it, that's a huge step forward.
And I do believe it would persuade a number of other countries to stop opposing the waiver.
But opposition to the idea of a waiver remains strong. The EU, UK, Japan and Brazil are amongst
those blocking it. The Pharma and intellectual property lobby, are opposed to it too. And
some say a waiver is unnecessary.
Stephen there's been absolutely no credible evidence that intellectual property rights
have constituted a barrier to development of the needed covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics
and diagnostics.
Opponents to the proposal say that waiving intellectual property rights could kill innovation.
And that if innovation is not rewarded, it could discourage investors and companies from
spending money on such research in the future.
For them, voluntary licences are the way to go. And they say that they’ve already been
granted to manufacturers fulfilling requirements.
Many also say the waiver wouldn’t lead to more vaccine doses. One of the arguments:
the world is already working at maximum speed.
the manufacturing capacity that the world can put to this problem is being fully utilized
now
The central challenge is manufacturing at scale,
It just takes time, it takes sixty to one hundred and ten days to produce a single batch
of covid 19 vaccines
Countries like Bangladesh and Canada on the other hand have claimed they do have production
capacity, it’s just not being used going.
All sides agree that a patent waiver would not be a silver bullet. The production and
distribution of Covid-19 vaccines involves many challenges, from the complexity of supply
chains to, shortages of raw materials, and the need to meet high production standards.
A central issue, the backers of the waiver say, therefore is for companies to share their
knowhow. And for governments to increase pressure on them to do so.
The waiver is one part of a broader package that we definitely have to have.
We must have the transfer of technology and we must have global efforts to increase the
supply of essential raw materials to make these drugs and vaccines.
The WHO has already created a COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (or C-TAP), designed to do just
that. Share vaccine technology, skills and knowhow. With prominent supporters, like US
Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci.
So far, none of the major pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines have signed up.