SA trying to twist EU’S arm on vaccine patent rights
US backs universal vaccine rollout
South Africa has now turned its attention on twisting the arm of the EU to support the emergency Covid-19 intellectual property waiver.
Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, announced on Wednesday that the US administration will support calls for universal vaccine rollout.
“The administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines,” she said.
Speaking to Sunday World this week, Zane Dangor, the special adviser to the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said the coming on board of the US government would strengthen their cause.
“We have won the US government over this and this is a step in the right direction. We are now pursuing other countries under the European Union to also support the proposal,” said Dangor.
According to Dangor, there was sufficient capacity in developing countries with more than 11 health and research institutions in Africa ready to ramp up manufacturing.
The bending of the rules relating to Trade Related Aspects of the Intellectual Property Rights, often referred to as Trips, is currently being considered by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The proposal is a joint work of the Indian government and South Africa, who tabled the motion last October requesting that developing countries in particular be granted the waiver.
After months of back-to-back behind the scenes meetings and intense lobbying, US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday agreed to support India’s and South Africa’s WTO proposal on Trips waiver.
Apart from the bilateral and multilateral negotiations, more than 10 senators in the US together with non-profit organisations had made several submissions to the White House, putting pressure and calling on the Biden-harris led administration to “cleanse” itself of the so-called Trump demons and reintroduce America to the global stage.
Last week, SA’S ambassador to the US Nomaindiya Mfeketo together with her Indian counterpart Taranjit Singh Sandhi met the US congresswoman and chairperson on Africa and global health, Karen Bass.
Biden’s administration also faces strong opposition from industry leaders.
US Chamber of Commerce executive vice-president Neil Bradley said the administration has gotten this issue wrong.
“Make no mistake, this move will undermine the global fight against Covid and it will diminish our ability to prepare for and respond to the next pandemic. We urge the administration to reverse course and work with the business community to deliver on the president’s recent promise to make America the ‘arsenal of vaccines’,” he said.
Some EU members have voiced their disapproval with the US stance. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has already voiced its opposition to the proposal, supported by Switzerland. Europe is the world leader in vaccine production; more than 75% of all vaccines are produced on the continent.
Dr Velile Ngidi, the University of Kwazulu-natal academic and public health specialist, said the Trips waiver was not the only stumbling block facing poor countries. “Vaccine manufacturing itself is a complicated process. All of these things need to be aligned.”