New Delhi: After weeks of deadlock, India and South Africa have asked the European Union to come up with a solution to break the deadlock on trips for covid drugs and vaccines, instead of blocking proposals, aiming to ensure people in poor and developing countries adequately protected from pandemic.
Indian officials told TII that the EU had come to the negotiating table in recent weeks to do a way out with sources in Geneva which showed that trade blocks could come to agree to limit the flexibility for vaccines.
The South African proposal, which is now supported by more than 100 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), seeks to provide patents, copyrights, and other IPR relief for medical, therapeutic and vaccines.
At present, the EU has suggested that vaccine manufacturers capable and ready to produce shots may be permitted to start producing, without worrying about patents.
The WTO Secretariat was interested that the solution was found ahead of the ministerial meeting this month in Geneva, although details could not be resolved in the next three weeks.
The Head of the WTO Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was interested in providing a trading and health package at a meeting of ministers and hoping to help get support from countries such as India to restore a fishery agreement in return.
The European Union along with England, Switzerland and Japan are the only opponents for plans to even discuss drafs that floated by India and South Africa.
Even in the EU, it was only a handful of countries like Germany, who opposed the plan.
While South Africa has received “hub vaccine”, it is not seen to have benefited from it, let MRNA facilities that meet the requirements of other African countries.
In its part, India is interested that the solution to vaccine problems was found earliest, even though officials claimed that Ratcheting demanded that the developed countries should at least stop blocking the supply of the main input and try to overcome large vaccine inequality.
In addition, it has got the EU to suggest the use of compulsory license routes, which allow for patent neglect if there is a national emergency, something that is always opposed by developed countries.
Government sources say various options are being seen by several developing countries and some of them can use mandatory license options.