By ED SILVERMAN
OCTOBER 3, 2020
As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, the governments of India and South Africa have asked the World Trade Organization to waive some provisions in a trade agreement governing intellectual property rights so that medical products can be more easily accessed, especially by low-income countries.
The two countries argued that unless a waiver is issued, there are “significant concerns” that diagnostics, medicines and vaccines will not be “available promptly in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices to meet global demand,” according to a submission filed on Friday with the WTO’s Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
OCTOBER 3, 2020
As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, the governments of India and South Africa have asked the World Trade Organization to waive some provisions in a trade agreement governing intellectual property rights so that medical products can be more easily accessed, especially by low-income countries.
The two countries argued that unless a waiver is issued, there are “significant concerns” that diagnostics, medicines and vaccines will not be “available promptly in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices to meet global demand,” according to a submission filed on Friday with the WTO’s Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.