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Updated March 10th, 2021 at 18:46 IST

Shekhar Kapur says, 'Profiting on vaccine is immoral'; here's why

Shekhar Kapur wrote that it is not possible to control the COVID-19 pandemic unless it is 'eradicated everywhere' and profiting on vaccine would be 'immoral'. 

Reported by: Digital Desk
Shekhar Kapur
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Shekhar Kapur on Wednesday took to his Twitter handle to opine on the ongoing debate over the temporary waiver of some TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement provisions of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Kapur wrote that it is not possible to control the COVID-19 pandemic unless it is 'eradicated everywhere' and profiting on vaccine would be 'immoral'. In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted a proposal suggesting a waiver for all WTO members on the implementation, application, and enforcement of certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement in relation to the prevention, containment, or treatment of COVID-19.

On March 2, India urged WTO members to reach a consensus on a proposal on waiver of certain provisions in a multilateral agreement on intellectual property to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, stating that one cannot continue to engage in endless discussions when millions of lives are lost to the pandemic.

Brajendra Navnit, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said at the General Council Meeting on March 1, that there is a need for concerted efforts by all the members to ensure that WTO makes a meaningful contribution to defeat COVID-19 and prove that it can indeed deliver in a crisis.

The agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights or TRIPS came into effect in January 1995. It is a multilateral agreement on intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyright, industrial designs, patents and protection of undisclosed information or trade secrets.

"We urge the Members to reach consensus on the Waiver Proposal to ramp up production for the cause of truly ensuring fair, equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 products in a timely manner," Navnit added. Quoting a study, he said it has been estimated that the global economy stands to lose as much as USD 9.2 trillion if the international community fails to ensure developing economy access to COVID-19 vaccines.

(With PTI inputs)

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Published March 10th, 2021 at 18:46 IST

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