The reactions in Africa were not long in coming after the announcement, Wednesday, May 5, of the position of the American administration seeking the suspension of intellectual property rights on vaccines against Covid-19.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his satisfaction given that his country was already campaigning for this option. “We are satisfied with the statement by the US administration which supports a TRIPS waiver on intellectual property protection for Covid-19 vaccines,” he said on Thursday.
Faced with the notorious insufficiency of vaccine doses which was already foreseeable for African countries, South Africa and India had submitted, last October, before the World Trade Organization, a request for the lifting of protection legal benefits to laboratories.
Such an initiative would give the world the opportunity to speed up the production and distribution of vaccines to quickly defeat the pandemic, the countries had argued.
Joe Biden’s administration has somewhat followed in the footsteps of the Indian South African authorities; enough to spark hope.
Ramaphosa considered Washington’s position “a victory for South Africa”. “It shows the influence we have as a country, by working with others our voice and our messages carry weight,” he added.
For WHO, this is also good news. The UN body which has been warning for months against “vaccine protectionism”, while campaigning for equitable access to vaccines, hopes that the American approach will succeed, to give Africa the opportunity to produce its own vaccines, and thus fight against the cruel lack of doses currently.
“History will remember the decision taken by the US government as the right thing at the right time to combat this terrible challenge, unprecedented in our contemporary history,” said John Nkengasong, Director of the African Centers for Control and Control. disease prevention, also welcoming Washington’s approach.
However, any initiative always remains variously appreciated. Major laboratories would oppose the requested lifting of patents, supported by some European countries such as Germany and Switzerland, fearing that it could set a precedent.
The International Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry (IFPMA), for its part, said that “suspending patents will not increase production or provide the practical solutions we need to combat this global health crisis”.
By OMA Newsletter N ° 260 of 07/05/2021
OMA, an NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
The enhancement of human potential
The promotion and consolidation of inter-African integration
Keywords: Covid-19, Patent lifting on vaccines, United States, Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa
Country: South Africa
Geographical position: Southern Africa
