Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the G7 countries to support a proposal by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organiz...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the G7 countries to support a proposal by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive the patent on coronavirus vaccines.
Modi was speaking virtually at a session, titled “Building Back Stronger - Health”, at the G7 summit. The Group of 7 summit, which brings together the heads of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, is being held at Carbis Bay in Cornwall. India has been invited as one of the guest countries.
For months now, the World Trade Organization has been facing calls to temporarily remove the intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines, known as a TRIPS waiver in reference to the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property. India and South Africa have been leading the fight within the trade body to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines.
On Friday, while speaking at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron had backed lifting restrictions on the export of vaccine raw materials and the proposal to waive off patent rights on vaccines. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, also a special invitee to the session, too supported the proposal for patent waivers, according to The Indian Express.
A release from the prime minister’s office said that...
