WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday thanked India and South Africa for their initiative at the world body to temporarily waive some Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) rules on COVID-19 products.
In his opening remarks to the World Health Assembly, World Health Organisation Director-General Ghebreyesus called on nations to share doses through COVAX and underlined the need to scale-up manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines.
Covid Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) is an international initiative aimed at equitable access to vaccines.
He said the bottom line is that “we need a lot more doses, we need them fast, and we must leave no stone unturned to get them.
While noting that several manufacturers have said they have capacity to produce vaccines if the originator companies are willing to share licenses, technology and know-how, he voiced concern that he finds it difficult to understand why this has not happened yet.
“I thank India and South Africa for their initiative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 products, and I thank those countries that are supporting these efforts, he said.
India had worked with South Africa and other partners in the WTO to seek a relaxation in the norms of the TRIPS agreement to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.