The Government of Bolivia welcomed yesterday the decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to release patents for the production of vaccines against covid-19.
“That will democratize access to immunizers. It is a fight that was led in the world by President Luis Arce,” Health Minister Jeyson Auza said at a press conference.
The head expressed his satisfaction at the free access to patents for vaccines against this disease “because in the international arena there are still countries that cannot access the quantities required by their population.”
Auza celebrated that the Government of Luis Arce promoted After assuming power in 2020, all efforts were made to supply injectables to its population against covid-19 and today it has one hundred percent of the necessary vaccines.
According to the World Health Organization, only 16% of citizens in low-income countries received a dose, at least, of the vaccine, while in those with high incomes it was 80%.
That global entity recognized Bolivia among the first States (April 2021) to request the release of patents to face a joint fight against the pandemic.
The WTO approved on Friday by consensus temporarily suspend patents on anticovid vaccines, therefore, developing countries will be able to manufacture them for five years without the consent of the holders of those rights.
there are doubts
The decision of the WTO members to temporarily suspend the patents of anticovid vaccines it is a symbolic act whose real scope is unknownexperts point out.
After almost two years of negotiations, the 164 countries of the WTO reached that pact on Friday “unprecedented” that allows developing countries to manufacture coronavirus vaccines for five years, without paying royalties.
This includes messenger RNA technology, which propelled treatments against the pandemic. Countries that so wish may use this method without having to obtain authorization from the laboratory that discovered it.
Non-governmental organizations and regional powers such as South Africa or India claimed that right.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), although 60% of the world’s population has received two doses of anticovid vaccine, the situation is very unequal. In Nigeria only 8% of the population has been vaccinated, less than 5% in Cameroon and 17% in Libya.
The South African government stated that “the goal now is to meet demand by convincing global vaccine suppliers to source from African producers.”
The current status quo “equivalent to a system of vaccination apartheid”, according to Tendayi Achiume, UN special rapporteur on discrimination. It is the first time that a suspension of patents has been adopted within the WTO.
In 2001, he voted to create a compulsory licensing mechanism for the treatments of tritherapy against HIV, that is, the authorization for developing countries to use or reproduce these pharmaceutical formulas, even without the agreement of their creators.
The Government of Bolivia welcomed yesterday the decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to release patents for the production of vaccines against covid-19.
“That will democratize access to immunizers. It is a fight that was led in the world by President Luis Arce,” Health Minister Jeyson Auza said at a press conference.
The head expressed his satisfaction at the free access to patents for vaccines against this disease “because in the international arena there are still countries that cannot access the quantities required by their population.”
Auza celebrated that the Government of Luis Arce promoted After assuming power in 2020, all efforts were made to supply injectables to its population against covid-19 and today it has one hundred percent of the necessary vaccines.
According to the World Health Organization, only 16% of citizens in low-income countries received a dose, at least, of the vaccine, while in those with high incomes it was 80%.
That global entity recognized Bolivia among the first States (April 2021) to request the release of patents to face a joint fight against the pandemic.
The WTO approved on Friday by consensus temporarily suspend patents on anticovid vaccines, therefore, developing countries will be able to manufacture them for five years without the consent of the holders of those rights.
there are doubts
The decision of the WTO members to temporarily suspend the patents of anticovid vaccines it is a symbolic act whose real scope is unknownexperts point out.
After almost two years of negotiations, the 164 countries of the WTO reached that pact on Friday “unprecedented” that allows developing countries to manufacture coronavirus vaccines for five years, without paying royalties.
This includes messenger RNA technology, which propelled treatments against the pandemic. Countries that so wish may use this method without having to obtain authorization from the laboratory that discovered it.
Non-governmental organizations and regional powers such as South Africa or India claimed that right.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), although 60% of the world’s population has received two doses of anticovid vaccine, the situation is very unequal. In Nigeria only 8% of the population has been vaccinated, less than 5% in Cameroon and 17% in Libya.
The South African government stated that “the goal now is to meet demand by convincing global vaccine suppliers to source from African producers.”
The current status quo “equivalent to a system of vaccination apartheid”, according to Tendayi Achiume, UN special rapporteur on discrimination. It is the first time that a suspension of patents has been adopted within the WTO.
In 2001, he voted to create a compulsory licensing mechanism for the treatments of tritherapy against HIV, that is, the authorization for developing countries to use or reproduce these pharmaceutical formulas, even without the agreement of their creators.
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