KUCHING – The Malaysian government must support an intellectual property (IP) waiver for Covid-19 vaccines to allow more pharmaceutical companies to manufacture them in a bid to boost supply.
In making the call, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen said the waiver would also facilitate vaccine equity, especially for poorer and less-developed countries.
“More than 120 countries are supporting the waiver, with Indonesia, Spain and even China being the latest,” he said.
“So far, we have not heard of our country’s stand on the issue and thus, I demand leadership from our prime minister.”
Dr Yii, who is a medical physician, said that the monopoly of Covid-19 vaccine productions by large pharmaceutical companies, coupled with the bargaining power of rich countries, has resulted in vaccine inequality.
Richer countries have enough stock to vaccinate their population a few times over while poorer ones are struggling to get sufficient stock for their country.
“It is estimated that rich countries, that represent just 16% of the world’s population, have secured 60% of the leading vaccine.
“And in Malaysia, it has resulted in a low vaccine roll-out, where those who have registered are still waiting for an appointment to roll up their sleeves at government-approved medical facilities,” he added.
The decision on waiving IP protection would have to be made by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is reported that any such decision made at the WTO must have consensus of its 164 members.
“This waiver would allow governments, including Malaysia, to authorise the production of patented vaccines without the consent of pharmaceutical companies holding the patent,” Dr Yii stressed.
“We can also bypass the monopoly of companies holding intellectual property rights and produce generic vaccines and other technologies that can fight Covid-19.”
The DAP lawmaker said that on the ground this would mean that our vaccination schedules can run better by addressing the current bottleneck which is vaccine supply.
“This also can encourage more technological and knowledge transfer to our local pharmaceuticals and prepare them to produce their own vaccines for future pandemics. We cannot forever be relying or be at the mercy of the world market in the event there is an outbreak on our shores.
“With the additional stock, private hospitals, and clinics must be allowed to purchase their own vaccines and run a parallel vaccination programme to complement the national vaccination drive. This is to make sure that more people will be covered at a faster rate which is important for us to achieve herd immunity at the quickest time possible,” he added.
Dr Yii added that supporting the call to set aside IP rights in the manufacturing of vaccines is important not only to help “herd immunity” to be achieved domestically, but also for the economy to recover properly.
He said that the authorities must contribute to finding ways to achieve global herd immunity as “we are not protected unless everyone else is protected”.
According to the latest statistics available from the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, of the 10,122,529 people who have registered for the vaccination, a total of 1,166,869 have thus far received the jab. – The Vibes, May 16, 2021
