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laborators. To date, companies have forged other government policies that disrespects
more than 300 contractual manufacturing law and property, further undermining
partnerships to scale up production and private sector investments across multiple
distribution of critical COVID-19 technologies, innovative and high tech sectors relating to
including vaccines. health, security.
If governments start tampering with IP waiver discussions distract from
IP laws, this injects uncertainty and the real solutions needed to improve
actually risks unwinding these existing global vaccinations
manufacturing partnerships. There are very real problems leaders
For example, Pfizer and BioNTech partnered should be focused on, like removing trade
with Brazil’s Eurofarma to manufacture doses barriers, easing supply chain bottlenecks,
of their COVID-19 vaccine for Latin America. and supporting delivery assistance around
AstraZeneca partnered with Siam Bioscience the world. They should be exploring ways
in Thailand and Serum Institute of India to to address healthcare worker training and
manufacture doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, personnel shortages, gaps in the “cold chain”
too. Thanks to agreements like these, vaccine necessary to transport and store doses, and
manufacturers expect to produce 12.5 billion vaccine hesitancy.
doses by the end of 2021 and an additional 17 Recent headlines provide the proof. South
billion doses by July 2022. Africa recently asked both Johnson &
Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of
"Intellectual property protection additional COVID-19 vaccines due to surplus
provides the legal foundation to supplies, reportedly the result of an inability
turn competitive companies to get shots in arms and vaccine hesitancy
into collaborators." among their population. Namibia reported
plans to destroy hundreds of thousands of
IP laws will help us prepare and expired vaccines due to slow uptake. And
respond to future pandemics. India is anticipating using only half of the
Without IP-enabled investment in innovation vaccines they’re producing in December, with
and IP-enabled collaboration to catalyze healthcare workers struggling to persuade
that innovation, our ability to combat the millions of people to return for a second
next pandemic would be severely limited. A dose. India in particular, but also other
pandemic is a whole-of-society challenge that countries with superfluous supplies, should
requires a whole-of-society response. From be allowing and facilitating more exports
the very first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including by fulfilling supply contracts to
governments, private sector entities, and COVAX, the international vaccine program
universities began forging partnerships to for the poorest countries.
pool the skills and resources needed to deliver As U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne
emergency relief, including vaccines. Clark said at a recent event, “COVID-19 will
Those partnerships are built on the not be defeated anywhere until it is defeated
foundation of honesty, fairness, and trust everywhere.” It’s time for global leaders to
inherent in our IP system. An IP waiver would rally around meaningful public health policy,
harm our IP system, and in effect, break that not misguided policies like waiving intellectual
foundation, leaving stakeholders reluctant property. The IP waiver won’t help us end the
to team up in the future. Not to mention, COVID-19 pandemic. It will exacerbate our
innovators outside of the healthcare sector challenges even further, and undermine the
could view the IP waiver as a precursor to extraordinary progress that has been made to
bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end.
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 14
more than 300 contractual manufacturing law and property, further undermining
partnerships to scale up production and private sector investments across multiple
distribution of critical COVID-19 technologies, innovative and high tech sectors relating to
including vaccines. health, security.
If governments start tampering with IP waiver discussions distract from
IP laws, this injects uncertainty and the real solutions needed to improve
actually risks unwinding these existing global vaccinations
manufacturing partnerships. There are very real problems leaders
For example, Pfizer and BioNTech partnered should be focused on, like removing trade
with Brazil’s Eurofarma to manufacture doses barriers, easing supply chain bottlenecks,
of their COVID-19 vaccine for Latin America. and supporting delivery assistance around
AstraZeneca partnered with Siam Bioscience the world. They should be exploring ways
in Thailand and Serum Institute of India to to address healthcare worker training and
manufacture doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, personnel shortages, gaps in the “cold chain”
too. Thanks to agreements like these, vaccine necessary to transport and store doses, and
manufacturers expect to produce 12.5 billion vaccine hesitancy.
doses by the end of 2021 and an additional 17 Recent headlines provide the proof. South
billion doses by July 2022. Africa recently asked both Johnson &
Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of
"Intellectual property protection additional COVID-19 vaccines due to surplus
provides the legal foundation to supplies, reportedly the result of an inability
turn competitive companies to get shots in arms and vaccine hesitancy
into collaborators." among their population. Namibia reported
plans to destroy hundreds of thousands of
IP laws will help us prepare and expired vaccines due to slow uptake. And
respond to future pandemics. India is anticipating using only half of the
Without IP-enabled investment in innovation vaccines they’re producing in December, with
and IP-enabled collaboration to catalyze healthcare workers struggling to persuade
that innovation, our ability to combat the millions of people to return for a second
next pandemic would be severely limited. A dose. India in particular, but also other
pandemic is a whole-of-society challenge that countries with superfluous supplies, should
requires a whole-of-society response. From be allowing and facilitating more exports
the very first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including by fulfilling supply contracts to
governments, private sector entities, and COVAX, the international vaccine program
universities began forging partnerships to for the poorest countries.
pool the skills and resources needed to deliver As U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne
emergency relief, including vaccines. Clark said at a recent event, “COVID-19 will
Those partnerships are built on the not be defeated anywhere until it is defeated
foundation of honesty, fairness, and trust everywhere.” It’s time for global leaders to
inherent in our IP system. An IP waiver would rally around meaningful public health policy,
harm our IP system, and in effect, break that not misguided policies like waiving intellectual
foundation, leaving stakeholders reluctant property. The IP waiver won’t help us end the
to team up in the future. Not to mention, COVID-19 pandemic. It will exacerbate our
innovators outside of the healthcare sector challenges even further, and undermine the
could view the IP waiver as a precursor to extraordinary progress that has been made to
bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end.
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 14
