The US government on May 05, 2021, announced that it will support an India-South Africa joint proposal to waive the patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines and it will negotiate the terms at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“These extraordinary times and circumstances call for extraordinary measures,” tweeted US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic and we’ll actively participate in WTO negotiations to make that happen: US Trade Representative Katherine Tai
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2021
India, South Africa, and other nations had put up a request to waive certain parts of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for all members of the WTO. This move by the US government is directed towards speeding up the inoculation drives across the world especially in developing countries amid the pandemic.
The US administration strongly believes in the protection of intellectual property, however, it will support the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines as a service towards ending the pandemic, a statement said.
The US Trade Representative explained that the aim of the US administration is to provide as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as possible. “As our vaccine supply for the American people is secured, the administration will continue to ramp up its efforts to, working with the private sector and partners, to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution,” Tai further said.
The US administration will also work towards increasing the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines.
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