EU To Agree On CoViD-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver For Developing Countries

Euronews has reported that an agreement allowing developing countries to produce their own CoViD-19 vaccines without having to grant permission from patent holders could be reached by the coming week.

The EU says it is now ready to agree "to get consensus on a waiver that makes sense [and] that will increase production" for developing countries, inverting its initial position which had been one against the waiving of intellectual property rights.

The relevant negotiations are taking place at the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

If the agreement is sealed, then any country wishing to grant permission to a company to produce vaccines should be able to do so "without fearing a potential risk of litigation by the holders of the patent".

An EU spokesperson said:

"The EU has been intensively engaged over the last months to try to find a way forward that confirms and reassures countries that consider they actually need to authorise a company to produce vaccines -- they should be able to do so in a rapid and effective manner even if there is no agreement by the holder of the patent. We are ready to look into a waiver that is sufficiently targeted towards the aim to achieve that any country that considers it should be able to authorise a company to produce and export vaccines should be able to do it in a rapid and effective manner."

However, the EU maintains the view that without the relevant intellectual rights in place, "we wouldn't have a vaccine".

[Based on reposrting by: euronews]