India slams attempts to profit from vaccine tech

India on Friday opposed “vaccine nationalism”, or attempts by some developed nations to hoard vaccines and not share the related intellectual property rights with a view to maximising profits from Covid-related vaccines and therapeutics.

New Delhi also called for greater support to its proposal along with South Africa at the World Trade Organization to waive the implementation, application and enforcement of certain sections of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of IPRs concerning prevention, containment and treatment of Covid-19 until a majority of the world's population has developed immunity.

India and South Africa have repeatedly asked WTO members, especially from the developed world, to agree to provide IPR waivers to ensure that the developing world was able to access the vaccines, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, India’s BRICS Sherpa and secretary (consular, passport and visa and overseas Indian affairs) at the foreign ministry, said while delivering the inaugural address at the two-day virtual BRICS Civil Forum 2021 organised by the think tank RIS.