The University of the Philippines on Monday called for a global waiver on patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments, saying a "humanitarian disaster is unfolding", as big pharmaceuticals in rich countries monopolize access to the much-needed jabs.
Condemning the disparity on access to COVID treatments between rich and poor nations, UP Diliman's COVID-19 Task Force said it supports proposals of fellow-developing countries such as India and South Africa to temporarily remove intellectual property protections on vaccines, known as a TRIPS waiver in reference to the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.
UP said the resulting technology transfer would allow local drug companies to mass-produce COVID-19 vaccines, covering for the inability of drug giants to provide access to the protection from the virus that has taken close to 20,000 Filipino lives (and over three million globally).
"By refusing to sign a waiver of patent monopolies for the vaccines, big pharmaceuticals stand to profit the most from exclusive production and distribution rights to COVID-19 vaccines, even as they struggle to keep up with the global demand," UP said in their statement.
Citing the World Health Organization, UP said of the 1.16 billion COVID vaccine doses administered, 80% went to rich and middle-income countries while only 0.3% went to developing countries like the Philippines.
"This is no accident: rich and powerful countries are hoarding much of the available vaccines and big pharmaceuticals are monopolizing the technology needed for developing countries to produce the vaccines for their own people," it added.
Over the weekend, COVID-19 cases breached the 1.1 million mark as the Philippines has yet to ramp up its nationwide immunization program with the arrival of vaccine orders through COVAX.
ALSO READ:
PH Vaccine Supply: All Shipments That Arrived So Far
U.S. Backs Plan to Waive COVID-19 Vaccine Patents
Millions Got Their Jobs Back in March, ECQ Threatens to Reverse That
As of May 5, 1.7 million Filipinos have received their first of two COVID-19 vaccine doses versus the government's target of 50 million for 2021—downgraded from 70 million due to said problems in global supply.
"..A humanitarian disaster is unfolding before our very eyes. In the Philippines and other countries like India, only a tiny fraction of the population have been inoculated, leading to untold deaths and suffering that could have largely been prevented," said UP.
At the rate vaccines are being produced, UP said majority of the population of developing countries such as the Philippines will not be inoculated until the end of 2024.
By then, "inoculation against COVID-19 would have been rendered outdated and moot, the economic collapse would have starved and sentenced thousands, and the death tolls would have rung too many times than should be conscionable to anyone who has any ability at all to intervene and prevent this from happening", it said.
"This is why we join the call for waiving the intellectual-property rules immediately: so that we can increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and other drugs worldwide and in so doing, save more lives, ease suffering and end the pandemic once and for all," it added.
ALSO READ:
India COVID Cases Soar Past 20 Million
U.S. to Share 60 Million Vaccines as India Battles Heartbreaking Surge
