<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i class="">Statements from Public Citizen, Rethink Trade, MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Peoples Vaccine Alliance and USTR below...</i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2022</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">CONTACT: Matthew Groch, </span><a href="mailto:mgroch@citizen.org" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">mgroch@citizen.org</span></a><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16pt;" class=""><a href="https://www.citizen.org/news/undemocratic-wto-processes-produce-shameful-result-on-covid-trips-waiver-at-12th-ministerial/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.citizen.org/news/undemocratic-wto-processes-produce-shameful-result-on-covid-trips-waiver-at-12th-ministerial/&source=gmail&ust=1655525266579000&usg=AOvVaw1lgt7QedopqEvpjTr9NMX-" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Undemocratic WTO Processes Produce Shameful Result on </span></b></a><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16pt;" class=""><a href="https://www.citizen.org/news/undemocratic-wto-processes-produce-shameful-result-on-covid-trips-waiver-at-12th-ministerial/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.citizen.org/news/undemocratic-wto-processes-produce-shameful-result-on-covid-trips-waiver-at-12th-ministerial/&source=gmail&ust=1655525266580000&usg=AOvVaw1xid4c1ZCkAA916D4GPCfV" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Intellectual Property and Covid at 12th WTO Ministeria</span></b></a></span><b class=""><u class=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(68, 114, 196);" class="">l</span></u></b><u class=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(68, 114, 196);" class=""> </span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">In the wee hours of the morning, WTO members announced they reached consensus on the WTO’s response to the pandemic that includes a text related to the TRIPS agreement and Covid vaccines that public health organizations and experts have </span></i><a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/leaked-wto-proposal-is-not-the-covid-19-medicines-waiver-we-need/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.citizen.org/article/leaked-wto-proposal-is-not-the-covid-19-medicines-waiver-we-need/&source=gmail&ust=1655525266580000&usg=AOvVaw16dzB_PuWX7UaJMv53Zken" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">vigorously opposed</span></i></a><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">. More than 250 public health, labor, human rights, and consumer organizations from across the globe are now </span></i><a href="https://tradejusticeedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/PostMC12CalltoAction_BadDeal.pdf" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tradejusticeedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/PostMC12CalltoAction_BadDeal.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1655525266580000&usg=AOvVaw2vJQoLMWZRdfDzXXM09EBC" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">calling on governments</span></i></a><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> to bypass the WTO's prioritization of pharmaceutical monopolies over human lives.</span></i><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">In response, <b class="">Melinda St. Louis, Global Trade Watch director at Public Citizen</b>, issued the following statement:</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“It's shameful that today, WTO members prioritized trying to save a floundering institution and obscene corporate profits over saving lives.</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“In the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic that shuttered the global economy, it was a no-brainer that the WTO should have immediately delivered an emergency waiver of its own intellectual property rules that impede rapid production of Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. </span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“And yet, the European Union blocked meaningful action on an overwhelmingly popular waiver of the TRIPS agreement for nearly two years. Despite its expressed support for a waiver, the United States did not do nearly enough to deliver a meaningful outcome, and even blocked efforts to include tests and treatments as well as vaccines. </span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“The result today is that, once again, the shameful, undemocratic WTO process allowed rich countries representing corporate interests to strongarm a sham agreement that bears no resemblance to the original waiver proposal and will do nothing to help save lives for this or future pandemics.</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“The worldwide movement that supported countries in the Global South that proposed a comprehensive TRIPS waiver and fought valiantly for nearly two years, will not throw in the towel, just because WTO members decided to today. </span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“As U.S. civil society organizations, we demand that the U.S. government, having failed to deliver on President Biden’s promise to remove intellectual property barriers to vaccines at the WTO, pledge unilaterally to refrain from using WTO or other trade and investment dispute mechanisms to stop or dissuade countries from producing, distributing or using Covid medical technologies or from sharing information on how to do so.”</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="color: black;" class=""> </span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 12pt; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">###</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">============</div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> </div></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40);" class="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2022 <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40);" class="">FOR MORE INFO: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">Robyn Shapiro </span><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="mailto:rshapiro@economicliberties.us" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class="">rshapiro@economicliberties.us</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> (201) 819 2526<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40);" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 4pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5in; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 15pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Rethink Trade Condemns WTO Failure to Waive IP Barriers Blocking Global Access to COVID Vaccines, Treatments, Tests<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 6pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">European Union, UK, Swiss Assist Pharma Corporations in Blocking Even Temporary Patent Waivers for Vaccines; U.S. Insists Text Not Apply to COVID Treatments <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></i></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Governments Must Take Every Action to Save Lives Using WTO Flexibilities When Possible or Defying WTO Rules When Necessary; Pledge Ceasefire on COVID Meds Policy Trade Attacks<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">WASHINGTON, DC: The </span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Ministerial meeting</span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> ended without </span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">waiving intellectual property (IP) barriers that have blocked billions of peoples’ timely access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Instead of a waiver supported by more than 100 countries, a rump text written by WTO staff was railroaded through. That document combines </span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">European Union, UK and Swiss fealty to Big Pharma in not waiving any intellectual property barriers and U.S. insistence it cover only vaccines, not the COVID-19 treatments at the heart of the U.S. test and treat strategy. Lori Wallach, director of Rethink Trade at the American Economic Liberties Project, said:<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">“Two years, 15 million dead and 100 countries supporting a waiver, yet scandalously the WTO could not even get its intellectual property barriers out of the way so people worldwide can get the best COVID vaccines and treatments needed to save lives and ensure a more deadly variant does not emerge.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">This outcome is a dangerous public health fail that threatens us with more deadly COVID variants and more economic pain, but it’s also a vulgar display of multilateralism’s demise when a few rich countries flacking for pharmaceutical corporations get an assist from a global institution’s staff to block the will of 100-plus countries united to improve access to medicines in a deadly pandemic. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Rethink Trade supports the unions and civil society organizations throughout Africa, Asian, and Latin American that called on their governments to reject this text.<span style="color: black;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">Going forward, efforts for global access to COVID vaccines, treatments and tests can only escalate in scope and tactics given the WTO legal mechanism designed for such emergencies has failed. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="https://tradejusticeedfund.org/governments-must-break-big-pharma-wto-stranglehold-on-access-to-medicine/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tradejusticeedfund.org/governments-must-break-big-pharma-wto-stranglehold-on-access-to-medicine/&source=gmail&ust=1655525265597000&usg=AOvVaw3Gx5gSe2aE7JOa1GbEELr4" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Civil society worldwide has united in a call</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> for governments to take every action to save lives using WTO flexibilities when possible or defying WTO rules when necessary and for countries to pledge a ceasefire of not using WTO or other trade mechanisms to attack other countries’ COVID medicine access policies.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">Certainly, no one engaged in the fight for global access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests is giving up or going away, because it’s not possible to do so when tens of millions of lives and livelihoods are at stake.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div align="center" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="564" style="width: 422.7pt; border-collapse: collapse;" class=""><tbody class=""><tr style="height: 9.25pt;" class=""><td width="564" colspan="3" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 422.7pt; border-top-width: 1pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: solid solid none; border-top-color: windowtext; border-right-color: windowtext; border-left-color: windowtext; background-color: rgb(34, 42, 53); padding: 0in 5.4pt; height: 9.25pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(255, 230, 153);" class="">PLEASE DON’T MISNAME MINISTERIAL COVID TRIPS DEAL IF ONE EMERGES: IT’S <u class="">NOT</u> A “VACCINE PATENT WAIVER” OR AN “IP WAIVER”<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 6pt; line-height: 6.400000095367432px; color: white;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 13.866667747497559px; color: white;" class="">Text on Table Would Only Lift Some TRIPS Art. 31f Procedures for Exporting Products Made by a Subset of Nations Under <u class="">Existing</u> WTO <u class="">Compulsory Licensing</u> Rules that Have Proved Inadequate for C-19 Vaccine Production<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 13.866667747497559px; color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></i></b></div></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: windowtext white windowtext windowtext; background-color: rgb(34, 42, 53); padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-top-width: 1pt; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-top-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: white; background-color: rgb(34, 42, 53); padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><b class=""><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">SOUTH AFRICA/INDIA TRIPS WAIVER<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></b></div></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-top-width: 1pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-top-color: windowtext; border-right-color: windowtext; border-bottom-color: windowtext; background-color: rgb(34, 42, 53); padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><b class=""><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">CURRENT TEXT </span><span style="color: white;" class="">ON TABLE AT WTO</span><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">MINISTERIAL<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">(WTO Secretariat </span><span style="color: white;" class="">5/3/22</span><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class=""> </span><span style="color: white;" class="">text</span><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class=""> based on EU </span><span style="color: white;" class="">5/21 </span><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">non-waiver </span><span style="color: white;" class="">counterproposal</span><span style="color: rgb(231, 230, 230);" class="">)<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-right-color: windowtext; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-left-color: windowtext; background-color: white; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">WAIVER OF TRIPS PATENT OBLIGATIONS<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">YES<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">NO<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-right-color: windowtext; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-left-color: windowtext; background-color: white; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">WAIVER OF TRIPS COPYRIGHT OBLIGATIONS<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">YES<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">NO<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-right-color: windowtext; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-left-color: windowtext; background-color: white; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">WAIVER OF TRIPS TRADE SECRETS/UNDISCLOSED DATA OBLIGATIONS (Technology transfer, test data)<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">YES<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">NO<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-right-color: windowtext; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-left-color: windowtext; background-color: white; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">WAIVER OF WTO DISPUTE RESOLUTION MECHANISM CHALLENGES OF NATIONS’ ACTIONS UNDER DEAL<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">YES<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">NO<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="194" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 145.3pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: white; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; background-color: white; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">SUSPENSION FOR SOME NATIONS OF PROCEDURES FOR EXPORTING PRODUCTS MADE UNDER COMPULSORY LICENSING ALREADY PERMITTED IN TRIPS ART. 31<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="110" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 1.15in; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: white; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">NOT NECESSARY BECAUSE OBLIGATIONS ARE WAIVED<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td><td width="259" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 194.6pt; border-style: none solid solid none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: white; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;">YES<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="564" colspan="3" valign="top" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; width: 422.7pt; border-right-width: 1pt; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-width: 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-right-color: white; border-bottom-color: white; border-left-color: white; background-color: black; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin: 6pt 0px 0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 10.666666030883789px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: white;" class="">For More Information, please contact Lori Wallach, Rethink Trade </span><span style="color: white;" class=""><a href="mailto:lwallach@RethinkTrade.org" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 10.666666030883789px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class="">lwallach@RethinkTrade.org</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 10.666666030883789px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: white;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 6pt 0px 0px; line-height: 10.399999618530273px;"><b class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">BACKGROUND: <i class="">Yesterday, </i></span><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="https://theprint.in/economy/we-are-getting-completely-half-baked-deal-on-trips-waiver-proposal-goyal/996763/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theprint.in/economy/we-are-getting-completely-half-baked-deal-on-trips-waiver-proposal-goyal/996763/&source=gmail&ust=1655525265598000&usg=AOvVaw3G2h3F158epLzXYh1GHMR1" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal</span></i></a></span><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> said of the rump text:“</span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(15, 20, 25);" class="">…what we are getting is completely half-baked and it will not allow us to make any vaccines. They have no intentions of allowing therapeutics and diagnostics...”</span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(89, 89, 89);" class=""> The </span></i><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/6/14/global-health-is-on-its-deathbed-we-need-vaccine-waivers-now" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/6/14/global-health-is-on-its-deathbed-we-need-vaccine-waivers-now&source=gmail&ust=1655525265598000&usg=AOvVaw1iWEM6D0M_E5FV--JKJnbS" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Mexican Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell</span></i></a></span><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(89, 89, 89);" class=""> said yesterday of the text: </span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class="">For almost two years, a handful of rich countries have resisted a life-saving</span></i><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/10/countries-continue-push-for-equal-access-to-coronavirus-vaccines" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/10/countries-continue-push-for-equal-access-to-coronavirus-vaccines&source=gmail&ust=1655525265598000&usg=AOvVaw3qMZD-RanbdOEGMjvM3Upc" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 89, 165);" class=""> proposal</span></i></a></span><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> tabled by India and South Africa that could speed up global COVID-19 vaccination, making a mockery of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Now, these countries are attempting to stitch up the process in order to put the profits of big pharma over people’s lives… Ahead of these meetings, a damaging </span></i><span style="color: black;" class=""><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/16/wto-chief-welcomes-covid-shot-patent-plan-drugmakers-balk" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/16/wto-chief-welcomes-covid-shot-patent-plan-drugmakers-balk&source=gmail&ust=1655525265598000&usg=AOvVaw3wJ7AXOQunjmzkmee4zn3q" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 89, 165);" class="">new proposal</span></i></a></span><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: black;" class=""> has emerged that is being pushed by the European Union and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. This proposal would be worse than none at all.”<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> </span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">======</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><b class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Inability to agree a real pandemic intellectual property Waiver at WTO is a devastating global failure for people the world over </span></b> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">MSF is disappointed in the inadequate outcome after nearly two years of discussions at the WTO </span> </i></b><b class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Geneva, 17 June 2022 </span></i> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><b class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Background</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" class="">: Today, more than 20 months since India and South Africa </span><a href="https://msfaccess.org/landmark-move-india-and-south-africa-propose-no-patents-covid-19-medicines-tools-during-pandemic" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://msfaccess.org/landmark-move-india-and-south-africa-propose-no-patents-covid-19-medicines-tools-during-pandemic&source=gmail&ust=1655553039635000&usg=AOvVaw2sp7sCHKds3aoIXbTL5EXH" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">first proposed</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" class=""> a landmark intellectual property (IP) Waiver for COVID-19 medical tools at the World Trade Organization (WTO), governments have reached a decision at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva this week (12-15 June). The decision text contains a set of clarifications of the existing public health safeguards and a limited exception for the procedure of using compulsory licensing for export of COVID<u class=""> </u>vaccines by eligible countries<u class="">,</u> for a duration of five years.</span> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Dr. Christos Christou, International President of MSF:</span></i></b><i class=""> <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></i></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">“We are disappointed with the inadequate outcome on waiving intellectual property for COVID-19 medical tools that resulted from more than 20 months of deliberations. </span> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">We acknowledge that a few changes were made to the agreement that mitigated some of the most worrisome elements of the earlier text presented in May 2022, but overall, we are disappointed that a true intellectual property waiver, proposed in October 2020 covering all COVID-19 medical tools and including all countries, could not be agreed, even during a pandemic that has claimed more than 15 million people’s lives. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">This agreement fails overall to offer an effective and meaningful solution to help increase people’s access to needed medical tools during the pandemic, as it does not adequately waive intellectual property on all essential COVID-19 medical tools, and it does not apply to all countries. The measures outlined in the decision will not address pharmaceutical monopolies or ensure affordable access to lifesaving medical tools and will set a negative precedent for future global health crises and pandemics. </span> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Throughout the pandemic, MSF has repeatedly pointed out the challenges and struggles faced by frontline healthcare workers in providing care for people facing COVID-19. Despite lofty political commitments and words of solidarity, it has been discouraging for us to see that wealthy countries failed to resolve the glaring inequities in access to lifesaving COVID-19 medical tools for people in low- and middle-income countries.</span> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">Without agreement on a true global solution to ongoing access challenges, MSF now urges governments to take immediate steps at the national level to make sure people have access to needed COVID-19 medical tools. Governments should consider using </span><a href="https://msfaccess.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/MSF-AC_COVID-19_IP-monopolies_briefing-doc_July2020.pdf" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://msfaccess.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/MSF-AC_COVID-19_IP-monopolies_briefing-doc_July2020.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1655553039635000&usg=AOvVaw0bXad4cWRzSye24j3KgBrK" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">all available legal and policy options</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" class="">, including suspending intellectual property on COVID-19 medical tools, issuing compulsory licenses on key medical technologies to overcome patent barriers, and adopting new laws and policies to ensure the disclosure of essential technical information needed to support generic production and supply. </span> </div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""><span lang="EN-GB" class="">MSF also calls on governments to take concrete steps to rethink and reform the biomedical innovation system to ensure that lifesaving medical tools are developed, produced and supplied equitably where monopoly-based and market-driven principles are not a barrier to access. It is time to prioritise saving lives instead of protecting corporate and political interests.”</span> </div></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">=====</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;" class=""><font color="#222222" face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class=""><b class="">WTO VACCINE DEAL: “A TECHNOCRATIC FUDGE AIMED AT SAVING REPUTATIONS, NOT LIVES”, CAMPAIGNERS SAY<br class=""></b>Release date: 17 June 2022<br class=""><br class="">Responding to news that governments at the World Trade Organization (WTO) have agreed a deal on patents for COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries, Max Lawson, Co-Chair of the People’s Vaccine Alliance and Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam, said:<br class=""><br class="">“The conduct of rich countries at the WTO has been utterly shameful. The EU has blocked anything that resembles a meaningful intellectual property waiver. The UK and Switzerland have used negotiations to twist the knife and make any text even worse. And the US has sat silently in negotiations with red lines designed to limit the impact of any agreement.<br class=""><br class="">“This is absolutely not the broad intellectual property waiver the world desperately needs to ensure access to vaccines and treatments for everyone, everywhere. The EU, UK, US, and Switzerland blocked that text. This so-called compromise largely reiterates developing countries’ existing rights to override patents in certain circumstances. And it tries to restrict even that limited right to countries which do not already have capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines. Put simply, it is a technocratic fudge aimed at saving reputations, not lives.<br class=""><br class="">“South Africa and India have led a twenty month fight for the rights of developing countries to manufacture and access vaccines, tests, and treatments. It is disgraceful that rich countries have prevented the WTO from delivering a meaningful agreement on vaccines and have dodged their responsibility to take action on treatments while people die without them.<br class=""><br class="">“There are some worrying new obligations in this text that could actually make it harder for countries to access vaccines in a pandemic. We hope that developing countries will now take bolder action to exercise their rights to override vaccine intellectual property rules and, if necessary, circumvent them to save lives.”<br class=""><br class="">/ Ends<br class=""><br class="">Notes to editors<br class=""><br class="">Spokespeople are available for interview in Geneva, where the WTO is hosting its 12th ministerial conference.<br class=""><br class="">In October 2020, South Africa and India proposed a broad waiver of the Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement covering COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments. The EU, UK, and Switzerland blocked that proposal. The US supported an IP waiver for only vaccines. The final text agreed is a watered down waiver of one small clause of the TRIPS agreement relating to exports of vaccines. It also contains new barriers that are not in the original TRIPS agreement text.</span></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div>=======</div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" class=""><strong class="">STATEMENT FROM AMBASSADOR KATHERINE TAI ON AN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC</strong><br class=""> </div><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">GENEVA – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released the following statement after the World Trade Organization (WTO) Members reached an outcome on an intellectual property response to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 12th Ministerial Conference.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“Last May when I announced the Biden Administration’s support for a waiver of intellectual property protections for vaccines as part our comprehensive effort to end the pandemic, many doubted that the WTO could rise to the occasion and reach an outcome. But that’s exactly what we have done.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“The text-based negotiations with other WTO Members that we called for have produced accommodations to the intellectual property rules for COVID-19 vaccines that can facilitate a global health recovery. Through difficult and protracted discussions, Members were able to bridge differences and achieve a concrete and meaningful outcome to get more safe and effective vaccines to those who need it most.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“This agreement shows that we can work together to make the WTO more relevant to the needs of regular people. During a global pandemic, under difficult circumstances, the WTO moved quickly to address a major global challenge and respond to the strong desire of our African partners to produce a meaningful outcome. Consultations with our stakeholders in the private sector and civil society, with Members of Congress and their staffs, and colleagues across the Administration, were critical in informing USTR’s understanding of the nuances in the global market, production challenges, and the public health needs of the world’s people.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“Going forward, the Biden Administration will continue work with WTO Members, the private sector, and other partners to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution to facilitate the global health recovery needed for a robust global economic recovery.”</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span><div style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" class="">###</div><div style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: rgb(32, 32, 32); font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" class=""><br class=""></div>
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Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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