A representative from the World Trade Organization announced on Monday that the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan still have reservations regarding the proposal to suspend patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines. During an informal meeting held at the organization's headquarters in Geneva, which focused on commercial intellectual property rights, proposals were welcomed to initiate discussions on specific texts for suspending intellectual property rights related to coronavirus vaccines. However, several member countries "continued to express doubts about the appropriateness of starting negotiations and requested more time" to analyze the proposals presented in this direction. It was clarified that the countries expressing these reservations include those from the European Union, Australia, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Any agreement within the World Trade Organization must be made by consensus among all 164 member countries.
South Africa and India are leading a campaign to suspend intellectual property rights that protect COVID-19 vaccines, so that countries worldwide can produce the doses needed to vaccinate their populations. These two countries presented a revised proposal in this regard, which has received support from 63 member states of the World Trade Organization. In addition to suspending vaccine patent rights, the proposal aims to expand this exemption to include treatments, diagnostic tests, medical devices, personal protective equipment, as well as materials and components necessary for vaccine manufacturing. The proposal stipulates that these intellectual property rights be suspended for a minimum of three years, which may be extended by the WTO General Council if necessary.
