WTO TRIPS Council Meet (15-16 Oct) to discuss India and South Africa proposal for WTO waiver from IP protections

Dear All,

The World Trade Organization (WTO) TRIPS Council members meet today and tomorrow to discuss, among other things, the proposal submitted by South Africa and India asking the WTO to allow all countries to choose to neither grant nor enforce patents and other intellectual property (IP) related to COVID-19 drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other technologies for the duration of the pandemic. 

We would like to share again MSF's statement supporting this request by South Africa and India and a briefing document citing examples how patents and other IP bariiers have acted as barrier recently in context of the pandemic and in past in accessing life saving medicines. 

Some of the other international organisations and UN bodies have issued statements welcoming this proposal and urging other countries to join. Please find below those statements for your reference:

DNDi: https://dndi.org/statements/2020/dndi-statement-india-south-africa-request-wto-waive-ip-rules-covid-19-health-tools/ 

South Centre: https://mailchi.mp/southcentre/southnews-action-at-the-wto-is-needed-to-accelerate-research-development-manufacturing-and-supply-of-medical-products-to-combat-covid-19 

UNITAID: http://ow.ly/ENNg30reJ95 

Feel free to contact us in case you have more questions. 

Thanks

Shailly

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Shailly Gupta

MSF Access Campaign

Geneva

+41-79 203 1302 (also on whatsapp)