(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: U.S. Supports india's vaccine patent waiver proposal

Topic: U.S. Supports india's vaccine patent waiver proposal

Guest:

Dr. Jayant Dasgupta, (Former Ambassador, WTO)
Prof. Y.K Gupta, (Former, HoD, Pharmacology, AIIMS, Delhi)

Topic Description:

US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced its support for a temporary global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines.

A statement from the US Trade Representative read - This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures…So while intellectual property rights for businesses are important, Washington supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines.

Accepting a key element of a joint proposal by India and South Africa at the WTO, the Biden administration said it will now actively participate in negotiating the terms.

For months, the WTO has been facing calls led by India and South Africa to temporarily remove the intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines, so as to help boost production in developing countries.

The announcement by the US was immediately welcomed by the World Health Organisation, with its chief calling it a monumental moment in the fight against Covid 19.