- After two night sessions, representatives of the 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on a limited suspension of Covid vaccine patents.
- This should enable the production of vaccines in more countries. Reactions to this have been mixed.
The trade ministers of the WTO countries patted each other on the back just before sunrise; proud to have reached an agreement on the patent protection of corona vaccines.
The compromise provides that in future more countries than before will be allowed to produce vaccines. Vaccines that the pharmaceutical industry had previously developed. The patent protection of these vaccines will be temporarily suspended. Interpharma and Science Industries, the two associations that represent the Swiss pharmaceutical industry, reacted with disappointment: the decision was useless, but sent a negative signal to everyone who could develop vaccines in the future.
Organizations wanted more
The associations fear that the WTO could now have set a “dangerous precedent”, meaning that patent protection for pharmaceutical products could be softened more easily in the future.
Legend:
WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (centre) during her closing speech in Geneva. She spoke of the “greatest progress of all time” that had been made at the meeting.
Reuters
Civil and aid organizations are also reacting with disappointment to the WTO decision. However, for completely different reasons. You speak of a sham agreement that brings nothing. For example, Patrick Durisch from the non-governmental organization Public Eye says: “There is hardly any possibility that developing countries will also produce vaccines. Because it will take too long.” In fact, countries like India and South Africa wanted to achieve significantly more in the negotiations.
Not only did they want to produce mostly Western-developed corona vaccines themselves, they also wanted to be allowed to produce drugs and diagnostics that are used in Covid patients themselves. They are now denied this for the time being. Because here the patent protection remains. Ultimately, only the WTO seems to be really satisfied with the agreement. She is very happy to have at least once again sealed a compromise.
Legend:
key stone
The Swiss delegation was represented at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference by Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin and State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Director of Seco. The 164 WTO ministers passed resolutions and declarations, for example on food security, the Covid 19 pandemic or harmful fisheries subsections.
Parmelin also discussed the status of negotiations on the Plurilateral Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) with Costa Rica, Fiji, Iceland and Norway at the invitation of New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor. Furthermore, the Swiss delegation invited representatives of the G10 countries to coordinate the priorities regarding WTO agricultural issues.