International medical charity Doctors Out Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has urged rich nations to stop charging a patent waiver plan that could boost the global stock of coronavirus vaccines.
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will meet practically for informal talks on Thursday to consider a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for producing COVID-19 vaccines and other coronavirus-related medical tools for the duration of the pandemic.
Sponsors of the waiver argue that the short delay would allow more factories common to give jabs without breaking common rules under the WTO agreements on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
But the proposal, originally introduced in October by India and South Africa, has met staunch opposition from some high-income members, many of which are home to the drug-makers – such as the United States and members of the EU.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dr Maria Guevara, MSF’s international medical secretary, said on the various opponents to drop their opposition to the plan.
“In this COVID-19 pandemic, we are again faced with issues of scarcity, which can be directed through diversification of production and supply capacity and ensuring the temporary waiver of relevant intellectual property,” she said.
“We are requesting all countries in opposition to this, including the US and the EU, to stand on the right side of the history and join hands with those in the support. It is about saving days at the end, not defending systems.”
Opponents want to keep the trade secrets of vaccines, claiming that current WTO rules are already quite flexible sufficient to support global vaccine stocks. They have also shown that excluding IP rights would expose innovation by discouraging future investments.