Academic Open Letter in Support of the TRIPS Intellectual Property Waiver Proposal

Abstract

The temporary TRIPS waiver - as proposed by India and South Africa and supported by more than 100 countries - is a necessary and proportionate legal measure towards the clearing of existing intellectual property barriers to scaling up of production of COVID-19 health technologies in a direct, consistent and effective fashion. We call on the governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the European Union to drop their opposition to the TRIPS Waiver proposal at the World Trade Organisation and follow-up with targeted measures to support technology transfer, and the equitable access and production of health technologies, including COVID-19 vaccines.

Keywords: TRIPS waiver, Covid-19 vaccines, vaccine equity, equitable access and production, intellectual property barriers