Intellectual property waiver for covid-19 vaccines will advance global health equity

Erfani, Parsa; Binagwaho, Agnès; Jalloh, Mohamed Juldeh; Yunus, Muhammad; Farmer, Paul; Kerry, Vanessa

doi:10.1136/bmj.n1837

Cited by 38 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…This was achieved with the AIDS crisis, but only after many years and many more deaths. Poorer countries require relaxation of intellectual property rights, technology transfer, and support to rapidly establish regional vaccine manufacturing hubs 31. Africa, Asia, and Latin America are perfectly capable of producing vaccines, and to claim otherwise is a misleading argument 31…”

Section: Knowledge Must Be Sharedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiteering from vaccine inequity: a crime against humanity?

Hassan

Yamey

Abbasi³

2021

BMJ

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Section: Knowledge Must Be Sharedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiteering from vaccine inequity: a crime against humanity?

Hassan

Yamey

Abbasi³

2021

BMJ

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“…Over time, people without access to resources such as strong health systems, health workers, medicines, and vaccines have become the majority of those who develop Covid-19 infections and die. One publication reported that by late June 2021, 46% of people in high income countries had received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine compared with 20% in middle income countries and only 0.9% in low income countries (2). Equitable vaccine distribution was clearly not happening.…”

Section: Working To Achieve Access To High Quality Medicines and Rati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 1995 Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement was set up to provide minimum protection standards for intellectual property, which included pharmaceutical products and vaccines (4). South Africa and India submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO), in October 2020, to allow licensing of Covid-19 health products and technologies under the TRIPS agreement (2). They and other countries would then be able to produce Covid-19 medical goods locally and effectively import or export them.…”

Section: Working To Achieve Access To High Quality Medicines and Rati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With TRIPS any compulsory licensing arrangements are restricted to domestic purposes only. In order to broaden availability of vaccines, WHO set up an mRNA technology transfer hub in April 2021 to provide the support needed for manufacturers in low and middle income countries (LMICs), and South Africa was selected as the first hub (2).…”

Section: Working To Achieve Access To High Quality Medicines and Rati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Where National Medicines Policies Have Taken Us With Patient Involvement and Health Technology Assessment in Africa

Sehmi

Wale²

2022

Front. Med. Technol.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted global knowledge about, but lack of equitable access to, life-changing medicines, and other innovative medical products by populations in African low and middle income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other international non-profit foundations and organizations are constantly striving to address inequity. In the 1970s, WHO initiated a regularly updated essential medicines list, together with the concept of national medicines policies (NMPs) to ensure access and availability, affordability, rational, and effective use of medicines which are considered essential in addressing predominant population health issues and disease burden. We studied the NMPs of Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe to highlight some of the important issues that these countries experience in the safe and effective use of medical products. Thailand is an example of how health technology assessment (HTA) can provide a country with an internationally supported, clearly defined and transparent process to broaden access to medicines and services. These medical services can add considerable value in accordance with local values and priorities. Involvement of civil society adds democratic legitimacy to such processes. Community health workers and patient advocacy groups are important in raising awareness and knowledge of safety issues and the effective use of quality medicines. They can apply pressure for increased funding to improve access to healthcare. Medicines and services that contribute to supported self-care are of benefit in any setting. Joint efforts across African countries such as with the African Medicines Agency are important in addressing some of the major health issues.

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“…A waiver can also facilitate creation of future manufacturing hubs, engaging a greater number of manufacturers, and ultimately yield more doses faster ( Erfani et al 2021 ). It can “prevent companies that hold the IP for COVID-19 vaccines from blocking vaccine production elsewhere on the grounds of IP and allow countries to produce COVID-19 medical goods locally and import or export them expeditiously” ( Erfani et al 2021 , 2). Ultimately, it can “help drive down the cost of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic tools, and result in increased access in the developing world” ( Zarocostas 2021 , 1871).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the Morality of Owning and Suspending Patent Rights for COVID-19 Vaccines in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching

Ballano

2021

Linacre Q

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Using the Roman Catholic Church’s set of moral principles on social concerns called Catholic social teaching (CST) and utilizing some secondary data and scientific research literature, this article examines the morality of India and South Africa’s request to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to temporarily suspend the property rights and patents of top pharmaceutical companies to their vaccines to allow low-income countries to locally manufacture them to save the lives of the poor during this COVID-19 pandemic. Applying the theological method of “See-Judge-and-Act,” this article argues that the suspension of patents for COVID vaccines is morally justifiable in the light of CST’s principles on the universal destination of earth’s goods, the common good, and preferential option for the poor. The top pharmaceutical companies cannot claim absolute ownership to their vaccines as they do not totally own and fund the entire development and production process. Furthermore, the right to private ownership and patents has a social dimension and must serve the common good and welfare of the poor, especially in times of global emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Patent holders have a moral obligation to promote the common good and save the lives of the poor which must prevail over their capitalist quest for profit. This article recommends that Catholics and Christians must join this crusade for the suspension of patents as part of their spirituality of social transformation. Summary: Applying the Roman Catholic Church’s set of moral principles on social concerns called CST and utilizing some secondary data and scientific research literature, this article examines the morality of India and South Africa’s request to the World Trade Organization to temporarily suspend the property rights and patents of top pharmaceutical companies to their vaccines to allow low-income countries to locally manufacture them to save the lives of the poor during the current pandemic. Applying the theological method of “See-Judge-and-Act,” this article argues that the suspension of patents for COVID vaccines is morally justifiable in the light of CST’s principles on the universal destination of earth goods, the common good, and preferential option for the poor. It recommends that Catholics and Christians must join this crusade for the suspension of patents as part of their spirituality of social transformation. Short Summary: This article argues that patents of the top pharmaceutical companies to their COVID-19 vaccines must be suspended as requested by India and South Africa in the WTO in the light of CST’s moral principles on the universal destination of earth’s goods, the common good, and preferential option for the poor.

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Intellectual property waiver for covid-19 vaccines will advance global health equity

Abstract: and colleagues argue that a temporary intellectual property waiver for covid-19 vaccines is vital to increase supply, achieve global herd immunity, and advance global health equity

Cited by 38 publications

References 5 publications

Profiteering from vaccine inequity: a crime against humanity?

Profiteering from vaccine inequity: a crime against humanity?

Where National Medicines Policies Have Taken Us With Patient Involvement and Health Technology Assessment in Africa

Analyzing the Morality of Owning and Suspending Patent Rights for COVID-19 Vaccines in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching

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