The People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA) in Asia is calling on Japan, Singapore, and South Korea to take action on the voices of citizens across Asia and the global South by supporting the ‘temporary TRIPS Waiver’ proposal at the WTO’s general council meeting on Friday (30 Apr), and ensuring big pharmaceutical companies and rich country governments to voluntarily join WHO led COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.
The appeal letter to Asian Government has been signed by 100 organisations including Actionaid, APCASO, Asia Dalit Rights Forum, Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD, Oxfam international, South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication, Fight inequality Alliance India, and 50 prominent CSOs individuals.
Compared to the terrifying speed at which the virus is spreading and mutating – as most recently being seen in India – scaling up global COVID-19 vaccination access and inoculation have been “painfully slow”, said PVA.
It explained that most of the world’s population – especially in middle- and lower-income countries – “lacks access to the vaccine”, adding that it will “take decades” to vaccinate all who need it judging by the speed with which it is proceeding.
PVA also asserted that the COVID-19 vaccines are “owned by big pharmaceutical corporations who are refusing to share the science and technology that could speed up mass production and distribution for the entire planet”.
“No single corporation will ever be able to produce enough vaccine doses quickly for everyone who needs it. If history has taught us anything, it is that pharmaceutical corporations create and protect monopolies in order to maximise profits instead of improving public health,” said Karyn Kaplan of Asia Catalyst.
“We have seen this in the past with vital medicines for illnesses like HIV or cancer that have been priced far too high, out of reach for most people.”
Temporary TRIPS Waiver
According to PVA, a temporary waiver of World Trade Organization (WTO) intellectual property rules during the COVID-19 pandemic – proposed by South Africa and India, and supported by more than 100 WTO member states and numerous health experts worldwide – is a “vital, necessary and urgent step to bring an end to this pandemic”.
It stressed that WTO TRIPS waiver “must be combined with ensuring vaccine know-how and technology is shared openly”, adding that this can be achieved through the World Health Organization COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.
PVA argued that these actions would “expand global manufacturing capacity, unhindered by industry monopolies that are driving the dire supply shortages blocking vaccine access”.
“When the pharmacy of the world is gasping for breath, keeping monopoly over vaccine science for purpose of profit is immoral, collective failure and self-defeating,” said Mustafa Talpur, campaign and advocacy manager of Oxfam international in Asia.
Roadblocks to control COVID-19 spread are surmountable
“All these roadblocks to control COVID-19 spread are surmountable,” said PVA.
It noted that the Asia region has a “world-class generic pharmaceutical industry”, adding that Asia-based companies “can quickly support new manufacturing capacity in other countries” with the help of a little more shared technology and know-how.
In return, this would “reduce the negative impact of COVID”, and “improve the response capacity for future pandemics”.
PVA stated that many countries in Asia – China, India, Thailand, etc. – have “demonstrated capacity to produce vaccines”.
“Vaccine equity will directly improve health outcomes, as no one is safe until everyone is safe. It is key to the enjoyment of human rights and is equally vital to a comprehensive economic rebuilding out of inequality, poverty and hunger,” said Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director of Actionaid Association India.
“There is no time to lose! This is an urgent call for a solidaristic, humanitarian and accountable response to save millions of Asian people and their futures.”