SA’s WTO ambassador calls for access agreement to apply to Covid-19 medicines

The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) is a World Trade Organisation (WTO) protocol that allows exporting countries to grant compulsory licences – without necessarily obtaining the patent holder’s consent – to generic suppliers to manufacture and export more medicines to countries that cannot make the needed medicines themselves. 

The agreement caused ructions in the early 2000s after global pharmaceutical companies objected to generic Aids medicines being produced and exported to developing countries, because of their breach of international copyright laws. But many developed countries and pharmaceutical firms gradually accepted the Aids crisis was exceptional and did not fight the manufacture and export of Aids drugs to certain countries.

In a speech to the WTO, South African ambassador to the WTO Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter told delegates that the novel coronavirus has had a disproportionately heavy impact on the poor and the most vulnerable, with repercussions on health and development gains, particularly in low-income countries.

“Curbing the pandemic and limiting the social and economic fallout is dependent on an unprecedented timely roll out of sufficient quantities of medical supplies to all countries in need, including masks, personal protective equipment, ventilators, diagnostic kits as well as therapeutics and vaccines as they are identified,” said Mlumbi-Peter. 

“This requires global solidarity to transfer technology and massively scale-up manufacturing globally.”

The SA ambassador noted that there are vast shortages of medical products within some countries, as well as between developed and developing countries. 

Due to “possible second waves” of the coronavirus, countries need to ensure they can restock medical products that will be required to fight the virus.

“On the subject of vaccines, there are already news reports of intellectual property disputes that could hinder the development and production of Covid-19 vaccines,” Mlumbi-Peter said. 

“We observe with great apprehension the rush by developed countries to sign deals to gain preferential access to vaccines, leaving many countries behind. Vaccine nationalism may address short term political demands of a country, but drastically falls short of what is required to contain this pandemic.”

She did not refer to any country by name. Still, she may have been alluding to statements by leaders in countries such as the United States and Russia, suggesting fast-tracking the entry into the market of vaccines.

“World leaders from the north and south have referred to vaccines as a global public good that should be fairly and equitably available globally, leaving no one behind. Now is the time to put it into action,” said the ambassador.

South African ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter. (Photo: Peter Kenny)