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Covid-19: US, EU, India, South Africa reach compromise on vaccine IP waiver text

India's waiver application covers vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for prevention, containment or treatment of Covid.

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A draft compromise agreement on waiving intellectual property (IP) rights for Covid-19 vaccines between India, the US, the EU and South Africa is likely to be signed soon, according to a media report.

Developing countries including India have been trying to get a waiver for IP rights at the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for waiving IP rights to ensure universal access for Covid-19 vaccines.

India's waiver application covers vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for prevention, containment or treatment of Covid-19, according to the report.

“Whether America’s support of the waiver will have impact on people’s lives in India depends on a number of factors, such as how quickly the negotiations move and what the terms of the final waiver are,” Priti Radha Krishtel, co-founder of Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), was quoted in the report.

The WHO said about 80 per cent of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in the 10 richest countries last year, but more than 2.5 billion people around the globe were still waiting for their first shots.

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Madhu Pai of McGill University, said the draft agreement has come too late and is not strong enough.

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