WHO calls for waiver on COVID vaccine patents to boost supply; 'If not now, then when?'

On Friday, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) called for patent rights to be waived off until the end of the Coronavirus pandemic so that vaccine supplies can be dramatically increased saying these “unprecedented times” warrant the move.

While addressing a press briefing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries with their own vaccine capacity should “start waiving intellectual property rights” as provided in special emergency provisions from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“These provisions are there for use in emergencies. If now is not a time to use them, then when?” Tedros said to identify bottlenecks in production and discuss how to solve them, the WHO would be meeting soon with representatives of the industry.

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According to the Associated Press, factories on three continents whose owners say they could start producing hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines at short notice if only they had the blueprints and technical know-how. But that knowledge belongs to the large pharmaceutical companies that have produced the first three vaccines authorized by countries that include Britain, the European Union and the US---- Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. The factories are all still awaiting responses.

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WHO Chief: 'Lack of transparency'

Tedros further applauded AstraZeneca for sharing its COVID-19 vaccine technology with companies including the Serum Institute of India, but also said that "the main disadvantage of this approach is the lack of transparency."

Pharmaceutical companies from the US or Europe that took taxpayer money to develop inoculations at unprecedented speed say they are negotiating contracts and exclusive licensing deals with producers on a case-by-case basis because they need to protect their intellectual property and ensure safety.

Although the UN-backed effort known as COVAX has delivered vaccines to more than 20 countries this week, the amounts are only enough to protect about 2 to 3 per cent of each country's population, Tedros added.

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