This autumn, we will continue to campaign with our partners in Palestine, Cuba, the Philippines and Congo to make the COVID-19 vaccine a global public good. Many European countries can boast of a successful vaccination campaign. But in other parts of the world, the lack of vaccines poses many problems. Government leaders, activists and international organisations are proposing different solutions. Many terms are being bandied about, but what exactly do they mean?
What is COVAX?
Throughout history, there have always been inequalities in access to medicines and vaccines during epidemics. That is why, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of a global mechanism for the equitable distribution of vaccines and other means of combating coronavirus was conceived. This mechanism is called the’Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). ACT-A is based on four pillars: vaccines, testing equipment, treatments and health systems. The vaccine pillar is called COVAX. Its aim is to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines in low-income countries. COVAX aims to vaccinate 20% of the population this year: vulnerable groups and healthcare workers. Leaders of rich countries say COVAX is the solution to the pandemic. They are giving money and vaccines in the hope of speeding up the global vaccination campaign. But Big Pharma is keeping its knowledge secret and rich countries have bought up all the available vaccines. COVAX will therefore not achieve its goal. The biggest problem is that COVAX is based on a principle of charity. That won't get us very far. What we need instead is an approach based on global solidarity and human rights.
What is C-TAP?
In May 2020, at the request of Costa Rica and 40 other countries, the World Health Organisation launched the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool or C-TAP. C-TAP is a technology platform that enables pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily share their knowledge, technologies, and patents. It functions as a domain. open source. When Covid-19 vaccine developers share their formula on the platform, it becomes available to other manufacturers. This allows them to get to work and advance global vaccine production. Factories in Bangladesh, South Africa and Norway are in the starting blocks, ready to manufacture vaccines. But because the big pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to cooperate, many production lines remain closed. A year and a half after C-TAP was launched, the platform is still completely empty. The pharmaceutical industry prefers to keep its knowledge and technology secret. This is good for its growth and profit margins, but not for our health. C-TAP is a very important platform, but our governments must force companies to share their knowledge and technologies. A voluntary approach is not effective enough.
What is TRIPS waiver ?
In early October 2020, India and South Africa submitted an important proposal to the World Trade Organisation: the TRIPS waiver (derogation from the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)). Both countries are calling for patents to be temporarily waived on all means of combating coronavirus, including vaccines, treatments, testing and protective equipment. Currently, patents constitute a double barrier between all these products and those who need them. On the one hand, pharmaceutical companies that hold patents determine the price of their products themselves. This explains the extremely high price of Covid-19 vaccines, for example, which is well above their production cost. On the other hand, patents hinder the mass production of vaccines. They limit production to a small number of suppliers. These suppliers are unable to meet urgent global demand. If we lift the patents, we will be able to rapidly increase global production. The majority of countries in the world, Nobel Prize winners, scientists, trade unions, health insurance funds, NGOs and millions of citizens support the TRIPS waiver. However, the European Union and the Belgian government are fiercely opposed to it. This position reveals that they are prioritising the profits of the pharmaceutical industry over a rapid end to the pandemic.
What are compulsory licences?
Opponents of the TRIPS waiver argue that compulsory licences are the solution to the acute shortage of vaccines. With a compulsory licence, the government forces the manufacturer of a patented drug to allow other manufacturers to produce it. As with the TRIPS waiver, patents could therefore be temporarily circumvented. The problem with compulsory licences is that they must be requested on a country-by-country and patent-by-patent basis. However, current Covid-19 vaccines are made up of dozens of different patents, for each stage of the production process and for each component of the vaccines. Applying for compulsory licences therefore takes far too long. It is an exhausting legal process that we cannot afford. Global vaccine production must be increased now.
What is the European Citizens' Initiative No Profit on the Pandemic?
Thanks to a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), citizens can collectively submit a legislative proposal to the European Commission. The No Profit on the Pandemic ECI calls for the lifting of patents on all resources that can be mobilised in the fight against Covid-19. As proposed by the TRIPS waiver. This also involves sharing knowledge and technology to increase global vaccine production, as well as transparency on the cost of production, price and distribution of vaccines. To do this, a number of conditions must be met. An ECI is only valid if it collects at least 1 million signatures across Europe and reaches a minimum threshold in 7 countries. The No Profit on Pandemic citizens' initiative was launched in January 2020. After a 10-month campaign, the coalition now includes more than 375 organisations from 21 countries. 218,000 Europeans and more than 30,000 Belgians have already signed the appeal. The minimum threshold was reached in October 2021 in two countries. Our efforts are paying off! Politicians are finding it increasingly difficult to prioritise Big Pharma's profits over our health.
Sign the citizens' initiative No Profit on Pandemic and put pressure on the European Commission!
Charity will not get us out of the pandemic. We need an approach based on human rights and international solidarity. Would you like to find out more? With these six myths, Big Pharma and politicians are hindering a solution to the pandemic.
