Hyderabad-based vaccine maker says not including ICMR in original patent application for Covaxin was ‘inadvertent error’ & ‘confidential agreement between them was not accessible’.
G7 diplomats are now echoing the Supreme Court of India — why hasn't the Modi govt granted compulsory licences to pharma companies to at least manufacture anti-Covid drugs if not vaccines.
Vaccine manufacturers China and Russia never came forward to share the formula with or waive IPR for other BRICS members. So much for the cooperation in the Covid fight.
It is time countries acted with a humanitarian approach at WTO and relaxed IPR provisions for Covid-19 vaccines. And it can be done without disincentivising R&D efforts.
Instead of trying to obtain an IP waiver, the govt must enable vaccine manufacturers to expand production & reduce inefficiencies in procurement & distribution.
India and South Africa have proposed a broad waiver from the Trips agreement’s rules on the production and export of vaccines needed to combat the Covid-19 virus.
US, EU, Canada and other developed nations, with access to Covid-19 vaccines, must stop opposing India and South Africa's proposal to waive patent and intellectual property rights.
American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.
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