Civil society to WTO members: Support India and South Africa’s proposal for a waiver from IP protections for COVID-19 medical technologies

Ahead of the TRIPS Council (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement) meeting at the World Trade Organization (WTO) 15-16 October 2020, over 375 civil society organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Access Campaign, wrote a letter to WTO members urging them to support the adoption of the waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 proposed by India and South Africa.

In a global pandemic where every country is affected, a global solution is needed. The waiver proposed by India and South Africa enables an expedited, open and automatic global solution to allow uninterrupted collaboration in development, production and supply, and to collectively address the global challenge facing all countries. It’s time for governments to take collective responsibility and put people’s lives before corporate monopolies.