The United States is committed to the lifting of patents against Covid-19 and it is the entire international community that finds itself having to take a position. Monday evening French time, US President Joe Biden went there with his shock statement calling for the suspension of intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines. Visiting this Thursday morning at the vaccine park of the Parc des Expositions in Paris, Emmanuel Macron said he was "completely in favor" of the patents being suspended for a time, in order to promote the production of vaccines in the world. At the same time, Germany, through the voice of the head of its diplomacy, has also declared itself "open" to a "discussion" on the subject. Just like the Russia of Vladimir Putin.
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5 minutes to understand a moving idea
However, the Head of State believes that this is not what currently blocks vaccination in poor countries, even if the question will arise later.
The blockage would come today from the transfer of technologies and the capacity to produce.
“You can transfer intellectual property to pharmaceutical manufacturers in Africa, they don't have platforms to produce messenger RNA,” he says.
Your subject is to transfer technology and know-how so that there are platforms that produce messenger RNA vaccines in Africa.
This is the key.
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"Full support"
For several weeks, part of the opposition, on the left and on the right, has accused France of being one of the countries which are blocking discussions at the WTO on the lifting of patents. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister in charge of Industry, estimated in recent weeks that the lifting of patents was a "false good idea". "So it would suffice to lift the patents of the labs for vaccine doses to fall from the sky by the millions?" Dear Yannick Jadot, François Ruffin, Manon Aubry and Communist deputies, these declarations reflect a profound ignorance of industrial reality, ”she tweeted again on March 17.
So it would suffice to lift the patents of the labs for vaccine doses to fall from the sky by the millions?
Dear @yjadot, @Francois_Ruffin, @ManonAubryFr, @deputesPCF, these statements reflect a profound ignorance of industrial reality.
⤵️ 1/9
- Agnès Pannier-Runacher (@AgnesRunacher) March 17, 2021
If he does not make the lifting of patents the alpha and omega of the response to the health crisis, Emmanuel Macron still provides “full support” for this initiative. “Yes, we must make this vaccine a global public good,” he explains, “but the priority is certainly on two things: the spirit of solidarity and efficiency of all the rich countries. As Europe is doing and as I hope it will be followed by the British, the Americans and others. The second thing is to produce in partnership, for and with the poorest countries, so that there is this transfer of technology and this final production. "
Contacted by Le Parisien, the Ministry of Industry details the meaning of the presidential words. "We have never said that patents should not be lifted, we are simply saying that it will not solve the problems of the moment, which are based only on the increase in production capacities in the world, argues the entourage of Agnès Pannier-Runacher. It is also necessary to loosen the cracks of the net of the countries which have established border controls and which filter the components entering in the composition of the vaccines. The United States would be doing us a greater service today by acting in this direction. "