Mahima
Ten Democratic Senators led by influential Bernie Sanders have urged Biden to support India and South Africa’s proposal to WTO for temporary waiver.
This Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Rights (TRIPs) waiver will temporarily uplift certain intellectual property barriers allowing countries to locally manufacture Covid-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
The Democratic Senators have maintained that this is the key to end the pandemic and steer America towards a strong recovery.
Contrastingly, 18 Republican lawmakers have written a letter urging the US President to not support any such proposal.
They have reasoned that such support would cause loss of vital research and developmental capacity of the United States which is required to prepare for future pandemics or health security threats.
The waiver proposed will expedite access to vaccines and treatments and global vaccination efforts, prevent unnecessary deaths and facilitate a speedy and stronger economic recovery.
The move by the 10 senators came after a similar letter by around 60 Congressmen was communicated to Biden supporting India’s proposal.
The republicans, however, have opined, “Unfortunately, some longstanding opponents of IP have used the Covid-19 pandemic to tr to weaken the exact policies that enabled the incredible global response. For example, India and South Africa are leading an effort at the WTO to suspend critical and broad IP provisions of the TRIPs Agreement.”
The Biden administration has yet to make a decision.
