Power politics and lack of progress on vital issues mean there are low expectations for the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi next week.
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Articles on TRIPS agreement
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The Medicines Patent Pool was created to promote public health, facilitating generic licensing for patented drugs that treat diseases predominantly affecting low- and middle-income countries.
Meeting for the first time since 2017, the WTO’s highest decision-making body managed to agree on some things – including its first treaty with environmental protection as the objective.
Waiving patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines and drugs is still crucial to ensure access globally, but the waiver on the table at the June World Trade Organization meeting doesn’t do the job.
Boosters and vaccinating children mean we’re relying on two pharmaceutical companies to supply Australia’s COVID vaccines. That needs to change.
Only 14% of people in poorer countries have received one vaccine dose, but a leaked WTO ‘solution’ to waive patents fails to ensure developing countries can access life-saving vaccines and medicines.
From vaccines to treatments and even medical equipment, intellectual property rights have hampered the world’s efforts to fight the pandemic.
Listen to experts discuss the business practices of pharmaceutical companies in The Conversation Weekly podcast.
The new variant is a warning: unless we take urgent action to correct global vaccine inequities, we risk the emergence of further variants, some of which may evade vaccines.
With the World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial Conference – arguably its most important ever – happening next week, attempts to keep it ‘on life support’ may be counterproductive.
Developing nations can’t make COVID vaccines because some rich nations won’t support waiving patents. Unless Australia and others do more, the world will keep living with “grotesque” vaccination gaps.
Vaccine manufacturing doesn’t come cheap. It depends heavily on support from developed countries. It also requires much more than relaxing intellectual property rights and a desire for vaccine equity.
World leaders have called for an end to the pandemic – but the numbers don’t add up.
Waiver talks might convince companies to focus on technology transfer and training, and let go of the plan to maximise patent-based revenues.
Much remains to be resolved before the waiver is translated into increased vaccine supply.
Despite some public virtue signalling, the Canadian government is not doing all it can to improve global access to COVID-19 vaccines. Canada has yet to announce its position on the WTO patent waiver.
The US has backed a proposal to waive intellectual property relating to COVID measures – but global efforts need to go beyond vaccine patents.
Various strategies are being pursued to boost worldwide vaccine coverage.
The change in the US position signals how clearly the success of every country in fighting the pandemic depends on vaccinating the whole world.
It’s not clear whether the TRIPS agreement is what’s getting in the way of vaccine supply, and waiving intellectual property rights may stifle future innovation.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor in Public Health, La Trobe University
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Professor and Distinguished Research Chair, Globalization and Health Equity, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
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Reader in Intellectual Property Law, City St George's, University of London
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Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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Associate Professor Politics and Policy Studies, Deakin University
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Professor of Law, Villanova University
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Jérôme Caby is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professeur des Universités, IAE Paris – Sorbonne Business School
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Scholar Emeritus in the School of Public Health & Human Biosciences, La Trobe University
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Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University College Cork
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Associate Professor and Course Leader: Post Graduate Programmes in Clinical Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
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Senior Lecturer in International Economic Law, University of Edinburgh
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Senior Lecturer Politics, University of Manchester
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Professor in Intellectual Property and Innovation Law, Queensland University of Technology
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Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Associate Professor, University of East Anglia
