India Welcomes US Support To Covid Vaccines' Patent Protection Waiver

In October last year, India and South Africa, along with 57 members of WTO proposed a waiver from certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.

Welcoming the US support for global waiver on patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines, India on Thursday said it is hopeful that the waiver can be approved quickly at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with a consensus-based approach. "We welcome the statement of the US government announcing their support for this initiative. We are hopeful that with a consensus-based approach, the waiver can be approved quickly at WTO," the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. "During his recent phone call on 26 April 2021 with the US President Biden, Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] informed him about India's initiative at the WTO which was aimed at the benefit of humanity," the statement added. In October last year, India and South Africa, along with 57 members of WTO proposed a waiver from certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19.