The US President Joe Biden's administration has declared to support an initiative by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organisation to waive Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) protection for COVID-19 vaccines. This step will be a huge step for the countries who are struggling for the vaccine doses to protect their citizens from the havoc created by the deadly Coronavirus.


US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that while intellectual property rights for businesses are important, Washington "supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines" in order to end the pandemic.


"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," she said in a statement.



The approval will make it easier for the WTO General Council to approve the proposal.


World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the US move “historic” that marked “a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19”.


“This is a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19. The commitment by US President Joe Biden and US Trade Representative Tai to support the waiver of IP protections on vaccines is a powerful example of America’s leadership to address global health challenges. I commend US for this historic decision for vaccine equity, prioritizing the well-being of all people everywhere at a critical time,” the WHO chief said.



Situation at India and the proposal at WTO


While the situation in India remains horrific recording the highest number of daily Covid cases in the world, and the number of deaths increasing day by day, the country is also battling the vaccine shortage. This move by the United States gives India a breather as once cleared by the WTO the country can manufacture vaccines locally.  The initiative was first floated by India and South Africa last October.


However US representative Tai also informed that the negotiations to effect the IP waiver would take time.


For months the WTO has been facing calls to temporarily remove the intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines, known as a TRIPS waiver in reference to the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.


But that notion has been fiercely opposed by pharmaceutical giants and their host countries, which insist the patents are not the main roadblocks to scaling up production, and warned the move could hamper innovation.


Countries such as New Zealand, however, welcomed the US announcement, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the move "tremendous news," adding that it would help his country manufacture mRNA vaccines locally.


France, on the other hand, has said it is opposed to the waiver, stating it prefers instead a donation-based model to help poor countries overcome a lack of vaccines.


(With agency inputs)