India wants TRIPS waiver beyond vaccines
NEW DELHI: India strongly pitched for the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waivers at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for not only vaccines, but also for “therapeutics and diagnostics” to achieve a comprehensive “test and treat” strategy, and asked members not to succumb to the intense lobbying of pharmaceutical companies.
“The pandemic has run its initial course. Currently, vaccines are not in short-supply, and if you are not even able to look at the near-term future, and the requirements of that period, then I think, it’s pretty much clear that rather than concern for humanity, for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost, for the millions affected, it is sad that the super profits of a few pharmaceutical companies prevail over global good,” commerce minister Piyush Goyal said.
Speaking at the thematic session on “Response to Emergencies: WTO Response to the Pandemic, including TRIPS Waiver” in Geneva at the Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) of WTO on Monday, Goyal said: “While vaccines were for preventive need, we need to ramp up manufacture of therapeutics and diagnostics to achieve a comprehensive test and treat strategy.”
“Friends, for India, a response to the pandemic would not be complete without TRIPS waiver,” he said.
For the past year-and-a-half India, South Africa and 63 co-sponsors of the waiver proposal had been urging the WTO members to adopt the TRIPS waiver proposal for ramping up production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to comprehensively combat the Covid-19 pandemic by enhancing supply and ensuring equitable and affordable access, he added.
“Regrettably though, the discussions reached a deadlock in the TRIPS Council… But, both South Africa and India continued with the spirit of constructive engagement… All of us gave a maximalist compromise position to attempt a draft that will be somewhat acceptable to the general membership,” he said.
Referring to the current text, he said it does not reflect what India, South Africa and other co-sponsors of the waiver proposal had envisaged. “I was very hopeful that the remaining concerns with the text would have been resolved and reconciled.
For India, consensus-based outcome is of paramount importance. Let me emphasize that we must redouble our efforts and commence negotiations on therapeutics and diagnostics as well, since the pandemic is far from over, particularly for the developing countries, including the least developed nations,” he said.
“We believe, the outcome of this particular issue, as an effective doable and workable waiver, or let’s say, an enhanced compulsory licensing as we see it, can deliver in some measure what it was set out to achieve,” he added. Stating that it took nearly over a-year-and-a-half to reach to this stage, Goyal said: “Vaccines are no more in scarcity with sufficient and affordable stocks available across the world. In fact, vaccines are now getting wasted due to expiry dates. Yet there is opposition to some of the clauses even now.”