WASHINGTON – Washington is working with World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to ensure “equitable” access to Covid-19 vaccines, said a United States trade official yesterday, but stopped short of signalling a commitment to waiving patent protections.
Speaking as WTO held another meeting in Geneva to seek waivers to intellectual property rights that will allow poor countries faster access to coronavirus jabs, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a report that it is “evaluating the efficacy of proposals” in the multilateral bodies.
The push to ease up on patent protections is being led by South Africa and India. The latter country is being ravaged by a surge in infections, with another 385,000 cases reported over the past 24 hours – a global record – and almost 3,500 deaths, according to official data.
But, the US has yet to agree, though a senior USTR official told reporters: “The top priority of the US is saving lives and ending the pandemic.
“We are working with our global partners to explore pragmatic and effective steps to surge production and equitable distribution of vaccines.”
The USTR has met in recent weeks with executives from vaccine manufacturers Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, as well as tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates, to discuss the issue.
Newly installed WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has made the vaccine issue a top priority and brought together stakeholders to thrash out a solution, including her proposal for a temporary waiver.
But, the powerful US Chamber of Commerce yesterday pushed back against “the mistaken belief that IP rights can be a barrier to access to Covid-19 vaccines”.
“Let me be clear: IP rights help – they don’t hinder – access to innovation by enabling long-term investments,” said the chamber’s senior vice-president, Patrick Kilbride, in a statement.
The White House yesterday said the US now has 100 million people fully vaccinated.
Of the more than 835 million vaccine doses administered as of April 15, 48% were in high-income countries, and just 0.1% administered in the 29 lowest-income nations, according to AFP calculations. – AFP, May 1, 2021
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