campaign featured image

World leaders and the people speak up for Covid-19 patents waiver

Apr 21, 2021

More than 170 former heads of states and governments and Nobel laureates called on US president Joe Biden to fully support a temporary waiver of the WTO intellectual property rules, last week. This is part of campaigns by the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA) for Covid-19 vaccines to be made “available to all, everywhere, free of charge”. PSI is a member of the PVA.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, PSI and its affiliates across the world have pointed out the need for suspending all patents related to Covid-19 therapeutics, technologies, and vaccines. We thus welcomed the TRIPS waiver proposal by South Africa and India to the WTO.

This proposal is now supported by up to 100 countries. Several health experts, including Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) have equally pointed out that this is the way to go. In the countries where governments have put support for corporations first, PSI affiliates have joined other civil society organisations to demand reversal of such pro-corporations stance.

Covid-19 vaccination worldwide

Almost 40% of all vaccine doses administered worldwide have been in 27 countries, all in the rich Global North, and representing just 11% of the global population.

22%

people in Europe have been vaccinated

36%

of people in North America have been vaccinated

1%

of Africans have been able to access vaccination

Earlier in February, PSI affiliates such as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Services Employers International Union (SEIU) & International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) joined about 400 civil society groups to urge President Biden to reverse Donald Trump’s embargo of support for the TRIPS waiver.

In March, leaders of our affiliates in Britain such as Christian McAnea of UNISON and Mark Serwotka of Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) also joined leading academics, economists, and civil society activists to demand support for the proposal to suspend intellectual property rights during the pandemic, from the British government. They stressed the dangers posed by inequitable access to vaccination to public health as well as the world economy.

Video

Civil society and trade unions from the Global South are calling on rich countries’ leaders to stop blocking a proposal to waive vaccine patents.

Monopoly patents or vaccines for all?

Presently, while 36% of people in North America and 22% of those in Europe have been vaccinated, barely 1% of Africans have been able to access vaccination. Almost 40% of all vaccine doses administered worldwide have been in 27 countries, all in the rich Global North, and representing just 11% of the global population. But no one is safe if everyone is not safe. Without waiver of intellectual property rights, sharing of know-how and international solidarity, it will be impossible to vaccinate enough people to reach a point of global herd immunity from SARS-CoV-2.

They argue that removing waivers will dampen the morale for innovation, but the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for example was 97% publicly funded

Governments of wealthy countries paint the picture of having the interest of the local population at heart with the pathway of vaccine nationalism which they pursue. So long as the people in these countries can be fully protected, tokens can be made available to the developing world in the form of charity, in the view of these leaders.

They also argue that removing waivers will dampen the morale for innovation. This argument is however little more than nonsense on stilts. At least €93bn in public funding went into the development of the vaccines. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine “was 97% publicly funded” for example. Meanwhile, a few corporations, which all had significant financial and technological support by governments now stand to make huge amounts – profiting from the pandemic.

The people can see through the lies of arguments that benefit only big business. Solidarity and not senseless selfishness has been demonstrated from below. As a recent poll organised by Progressive International shows, a “large majority of US voters support patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines”.

The voice of the people, as a saying goes, is the voice of God. And for what it is worth, it should be made louder in the ears of world rulers than the voice of mammon which the corporations serve. We must keep up the pressure for the TRIPS waiver and sharing of know-how needed to ensure universal access to vaccination.

The WTO General Council will be holding a formal meeting in the first week of May. This is the highest-level decision-making body of the organization. We must all add our voices once again to the popular demand to put health before wealth and people over profit. We demand #PeoplesVaccines and call on governments to waive TRIPS rules on Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics and technologies NOW!




Subscribe for weekly updates