STAT+: WTO reaches a deal on Covid vaccine patent waivers, but industry and advocates remain unhappy
After nearly two years of talks, the World Trade Organization reached an agreement to temporarily waive patent rights for Covid-19 vaccines, but the deal was criticized by both the pharmaceutical industry and advocacy groups as inadequate and harmful.
The agreement, which lasts for five years, allows a country to waive intellectual property protections on vaccines without the permission of the company that holds patent rights. The proposal was made after wealthy nations locked in supply contracts that quickly crowded out poorer countries from obtaining supplies, creating concerns that much of the world would remain unvaccinated.
