Remove patent rights on vaccine production - GCAP advocates

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) has called on world leaders to demand the removal of patent rights associated with the production of vaccines in order to win the fight against Covid-19.

GCAP and Abibinsroma Foundation, in marking the second anniversary of the declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic, asked vaccine manufacturers to make the vaccines cheaper so poorer nations could afford them.

In a statement on Friday at the Training Centre of the Tema General Hospital, Mrs. Celestina Obeng, the Tourism Ambassador for Abibinsroma Foundation said, “As we enter the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, billions of people worldwide still don’t have access to Covid vaccinations and treatments.

Mrs. Obeng said, that notwithstanding, pharmaceutical companies were recording profits of over $ 1 million per hour and world leaders had refused to stand up to them.

In that regard, she said, “Today, more than ever, we are repeating our call for a ‘People’s Vaccine,’ because every life lost now is avoidable.”

Mrs Obeng, therefore, called on governments across the globe to urgently implement a global roadmap to deliver the WHO goal of fully vaccinating 70% of people by mid-2022, “And beyond this ensure maintained, timely and equitable access worldwide to Covid-19 vaccines, treatments, tests and other medical technologies, including all effective and safe next-generation Covid-19 vaccines and medical technologies.”

Mrs. Obeng also called for the maximization of the production of safe and effective vaccines, treatment and other Covid-19 products by suspending relevant intellectual property rules and ensuring the mandatory pooling of all Covid-19 related knowledge, data and technologies so that any nation can produce or buy sufficient and affordable vaccines, treatments and tests.

GCAP Ghana asked for an investment of public funds into a rapid and massive increase in vaccine manufacturing as well as research and development capacity to build a globally distributed network capable of and governed to deliver afforbale vaccines as global public goods to all nations.

She pleaded that the manufacturers made Covid-19 vaccines, treatment and tests available to governments and institutions at a price as close to the true costs as possible, and provided free of charge to everyone, everywhere and allocated according.

Mrs Obeng hinted at the need to scale up sustainable investment in public health systems to ensure that the low and middle-income countries had adequate resources to get shots into arms and save lives.

“These investments would pay dividends in the global economy and restore economic and developmental gains which the global Covid-19 pandemic has partially restored,” she added.

The Medical Director of Tema General Hospital, Dr. Richard Anthony, in adding his voice to the plea, observed how Ghana had made tremendous efforts in containing the virus and urged all those who had not yet vaccinated to do so.

Dr. Anthony also called on all citizens to continue observing the Covid protocols to ensure that they stayed safe and prevented the spread of the diseases.

He also believed that the call to end the patent rights on the production of vaccines was right and pleaded with vaccine manufacturers to heed to such a call.

Billions of people worldwide still don’t have access to COVID vaccines and treatments. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are recording profits of over $1 million per hour.

Germany has bought enough Covid vaccines for four booster shots per person, while the majority of adults in poorer countries are unlikely to even get a single shot this year.

Does this sound like #VaccineEquity to you?

As we enter 3rd year of the pandemic, 99% of humanity is worse off, but a new billionaire has been created every 26 hours as COVID rages.

A new Oxfam Great Britain report dives into who has been hurt most by COVID-19.

Every minute, 4 children around the world have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID. In India alone, more than two million children lost a caregiver.

Women have been 1.4 times more likely to drop out of the labor force than men because of the pandemic and 160 million people have been pushed into poverty on a per capita basis, Oxfam calculates that deaths in low and lower-middle-income countries are 31% higher than high-income countries, where access to vaccines is less.

“There must be a better way out of the suffering of the past two years, a way where everyone had access to vaccines, and no one was disposable. Public health decisions must be based on comprehensive evidence, not political agendas." - Gregg Gonsalves, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Yale University.

The lack of strong government action in the face of pharmaceutical monopoly greed is causing thousands of needless deaths each day. And even as Omicron starts to wane, ongoing vaccine inequity threatens to spark new COVID variants that could once again prolong the pandemic for everyone.

World leaders have the power right now to remove Big Pharma’s monopoly hold on COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments and allow countries to produce the life-saving medicines their populations desperately need.

COVID is not going to just go away on its own. The only way we permanently stop COVID’s disruptions to our lives is if we help make vaccines, tests and treatments readily available to everyone in order to prevent new and even deadlier variants from arising.

There are over 100 facilities across the world that could start producing more vaccine doses if Big Pharma’s monopoly stranglehold over these technologies was temporarily lifted and the recipes were proactively shared.

Governments must deliver on a long-awaited intellectual property waiver, compel pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine-making know-how, and fund the production of regional vaccine and treatment production hubs.

What are we calling for

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people worldwide still don’t have access to COVID vaccines and treatments. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are recording profits of over $1 million per hour and world leaders refuse to stand up to them.

Today more than ever we are repeating our call for a People’s Vaccine. Every life lost now is avoidable. There is no more time to waste. Join us to demand world leaders stand with people, not Big Pharma, and finally end this pandemic.

Specifically, we call on governments to take these urgent five steps:

1. Urgently agree to and implement a global roadmap to deliver the WHO goal of fully vaccinating 70% of people by mid-2022, and beyond this ensure sustained, timely and equitable access worldwide to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, tests and other medical technologies, including all effective and safe next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and medical technologies.

2. Maximize the production of safe and effective vaccines, treatments and other COVID-19 products by suspending relevant intellectual property rules and ensuring the mandatory pooling of all COVID-19 related knowledge, data and technologies so that any nation can produce or buy sufficient and affordable doses of vaccines, treatments and tests.

3. Invest public funding now in a rapid and massive increase in vaccine manufacturing as well as research and development (R&D) capacity to build a globally distributed network capable of and governed to deliver affordable vaccines as global public goods to all nations.

4. Make COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests available to governments and institutions at a price as close to the true cost as possible, and provided free of charge to everyone, everywhere, and allocated according to need.

5. Scale-up sustainable investment in public health systems to ensure that low- and middle-income country governments have adequate resources to get shots into arms and save lives. These investments will pay dividends in the global economy and help restore economic and development gains which the global COVID-19 pandemic has partially reversed.

Global Call to Action Network has over 11,000 civil society organization organized in 58 National Coalitions and in consistent groups of women, youth and socially excluded people, among others. GCAP supports people in their struggles for justice and brings individuals and organizations together to challenge the institutions and processes that perpetuate poverty and inequalities.

Abibinsroma Foundation is an NGO that identifies, promotes, and empower persons at the gross roots to develop innovative solutions for the developmental challenges in Ghana and Africa.