US must stop blocking WTO waiver on COVID-19 medical tools

In Brazil, where healthcare workers have struggled to provide care during multiple waves of the pandemic so far, MSF witnessed how emerging waves saturated the existing health system resulting in rationing of medical equipment and interventions.

“From the early days in the pandemic when governments were competing to get access to certain diagnostics and protective equipment, it was clear that countries like Brazil and many others would be at the back of the line when it came to accessing scarce medical resources,” said Felipe de Carvalho, MSF’s Access Campaign coordinator in Brazil. “Waiving monopolies will help level the playing field in this pandemic and ensure access for all.”

Despite the clear public health benefits that the monopoly waiver proposal offers, a small group of nations is rigorously hindering the start of formal negotiations at the WTO. At the same time, many of the countries blocking or delaying the proposal—including the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and countries in the EU—have also secured the majority of available vaccines, much more than needed to vaccinate their entire populations.

“More and more low- and middle-income countries are getting very serious about making this pandemic monopoly waiver a reality, so it’s time for countries that are blocking it to do the right thing and stop standing in the way,” said Yuanqiong Hu, senior legal and policy advisor at MSF’s Access Campaign. “Governments that oppose the monopoly waiver proposal know that simply asking pharmaceutical corporations to voluntarily do the right thing will not get us anywhere, when these attempts have so far failed to secure global access to COVID-19 medical tools for people who urgently need them. It’s time for change, not charity.”

The waiver was originally proposed by India and South Africa in October 2020 and is now officially backed by 58 sponsoring governments, with approximately 100 countries supporting the proposal. To date, the waiver proposal has gained wide support by hundreds of civil society organizations across the globe. It has also been welcomed by a number of international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), South Centre, Unitaid, and Third World Network. Recently, more than 115 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European Commission and the European Council to drop their opposition to the monopoly waiver proposal.