Press Release: Access to Medicines Ireland Welcomes Landmark Oireachtas Report on Global Covid-19 Vaccines
Friday, 12th March, 2021.
Access to Medicines Ireland has welcomed yesterday’s report by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence as “a landmark moment” in Ireland’s position on providing global, equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, by moving to a shared patent system.
The “Report on the Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines to Developing Countries,” linked here, calls on the Irish Government to formally endorse the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a mechanism to share intellectual property rights, data and know-how to enable increased production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and diagnostics to tackle the pandemic, and recommends the Irish Government actively engage with the pharmaceutical industry in order to secure their participation in the C-TAP.
Momentum for the global initiative has been growing following supportive remarks by, among others, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Dr. Mike Ryan and the new head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the need for a global mechanism to achieve greater access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Referring to the need to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity globally to tackle COVID-19 , Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said of pharmaceutical companies:
“… we must focus on working with companies to open up and license more viable manufacturing sites now in emerging markets and developing countries. We must get them to work with us on know-how and technology transfer now. This will be an interim solution whilst we continue the dialogue on the TRIPS waiver.”
The Oireachtas committee’s recommendations further state that Ireland should advocate for the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) at international levels, particularly at the EU and the UN Security Council.
Such global multilateral action is important if C-TAP is to achieve sufficient support from other countries and pharmaceutical companies’ participation, as Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
“…boosting manufacturing won’t happen by itself. We are living through an exceptional moment in history, and must rise to the challenge. Whether it’s dose sharing, tech transfer or voluntary licensing, as the WHO’s own Covid-19 Technology Access Pool initiative encourages, or waiving intellectual property rights, as South Africa and India have suggested, we need to pull out all the stops.”
Speaking after his appearance at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence last month, Dr. Kieran Harkin of Access to Medicines Ireland said:
“This report endorses the position that universal access to COVID-19 vaccines is the key to the resolution of the pandemic. The current shortage of vaccines is artificial and can only be resolved if pharmaceutical companies working on vaccines agree to share their know-how and intellectual property rights with their competitors, and be reasonably compensated for doing so.”
“Massive advance public funding in excess of €8 billion has taken the risk out of vaccine development and this is the main reason why a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines have become available so quickly. But even these vaccines should not belong to any commercial organisation, they are a public good and need to be recognised as such.”
“If Ireland can help sway the momentum among EU countries by endorsing C-TAP, the outcomes will be greater supplies of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world.”
“This is a wholly progressive move by the members of the Oireachtas committee and it would put Ireland firmly on the right side of history.”
Dr. Aisling McMahon of Access to Medicines Ireland, Assistant Professor in Law at Maynooth University and a specialist in international patent and health law, added:
“This report is incredibly important because it recognises the need for national action to achieve global equitable access to vaccines, and ultimately to bring COVID-19 under control for all countries which is in everybody’s interest.
“It is vital from a social justice perspective that we achieve equitable global access for vaccines, yet currently there is a chasm of inequality arising across the world. This report recognises this, and the need for action to achieve change.”
“We are delighted that the committee has recommended that the Irish Government would formally endorse the C-TAP which in our view is the most viable mechanism to achieve sustainable long-term access for COVID-19 vaccines, and this is vital given the extraordinary crisis posed by this pandemic.”
“C-TAP is a global mechanism to share intellectual property rights, data, know-how etc in the spirit of solidarity to increase the speed and scale of production of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and diagnostics everywhere. Its aim is to bring COVID-19 under control globally as soon as possible. If sufficiently supported, C-TAP can achieve this, and its success is in all our interests.”
“However, global multilateral action is crucial for this success, and Ireland can and should be a leading voice in supporting the C-TAP and in encouraging others to do likewise. It is our hope that, given the significance of these issues, the Irish Government adopts these important committee recommendations as soon as possible.”
Contact:
Access to Medicines Ireland’s representatives are available for interview on this issue at any stage.
Dr. Aisling McMahon
Email: Aisling.Mcmahon@mu.ie
Dr. Kieran Harkin
Email: drkharkin@inchicoredoctors.ie
Resources:
Access to Medicines Ireland Position Paper on the WHO’s Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) here.
Access to Medicines Ireland’s opening statement to Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence here.
Press release by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence here.
Access to Medicines Ireland is a membership group of Comhlámh, the association of development workers and volunteers.