INDIA DEMANDS IPR WAIVER FOR COVID-19 JABS

IPR– Patent Rights are the privileges provided to a person over creations of their mind like inventions, literary works and artistic work. They provide the creator exclusive rights over their authentic work for a certain period of time.

India is slated to demand an Intellectual Property Rights(IPR) Waiver for the supplies for COVID 19 vaccines at the upcoming World Trade Organization meet. This Patent waiver under the TRIPS Agreement was initiated by India and South Africa. Due to opposition faced by certain developed nations, the negotiations reached an impasse.

Factors driving demand for IPR Waiver

• To cater to increasing demands especially for concerns around new COVID Variants
• Due to concentration of resources for vaccines manufacturing. Most Resource and Development is too heavily concentrated in a few countries only.
• Vaccines and immunising medicines should be available for the common good of all.

On the other hand, most developed countries feel such a waiver would lead to the stifling of innovation. However, equitable access could be achieved through other means of compulsory licensing, technology transfer arrangements.

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