WTO to take up India, South Africa's TRIPS waiver plea

New Delhi: The World Trade Organization will next week take up a proposal by India and South Africa for temporary waiver of some TRIPS Agreement provisions to ensure all countries have access to Covid-19 vaccines and medicines. The meeting is scheduled for February 4.

The proposed game-changing waiver of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) would enable free flow of medicines, Covid-19 therapeutics and technology transfer across the world, experts said. The move comes at a time when global drug makers involved in the development of Covid-19 therapeutics have refused to give up the patents over their products despite receiving funding from public institutions to develop them, aid organisations said.

According to the TRIPS waiver proposal, WTO should allow all member countries to choose to neither grant nor enforce patents and other intellectual property related to Covid-19 drugs, vaccines, and medical products for the duration of the pandemic.