If patents continue to determine global access to vaccines and drugs, then fighting pandemics will remain a distant dream for most countries. Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· Vaccines are badly required by the world, Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, and medical equipment like ventilators and oxygen concentrators.
· The Covid-19 crisis underpins the importance of flexible global trade rules, rules linking ownership of intellectual property (IP) to cross-border movement of products involving IP.
· One of the most effective ways in which global trade rules can contribute to better access of vaccines and medicines is by enabling compulsory licensing.
· The WTO’s rules allow countries to issue compulsory licences to domestic producers for manufacturing patented drugs and other products.
· India’s Patents Act of 2005 provides for issue of compulsory licences in public health emergency.
· Compulsory licences need to be issued fast for enabling Indian companies to make patented vaccines and critical drugs.
· Compulsory licensing provisions under India’s Patents Act are WTO-compliant. At the same time, it is important for India to work with the US, the UK and other countries, which had opposed India’s proposal at the WTO.
