COVID-19 Pandemic

Media Release: ‘Each-way bet’: Trade Minister declines to co-sponsor waiver on COVID vaccine monopolies

November 4: On the eve of an important World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting on intellectual property this week, the Government has revealed that Australia will not co-sponsor a proposal to waive commercial monopolies on COVID19 vaccines, as Shadow Trade Minister Madeleine King MP and campaigners have urged.

WTO negotiations on vaccine monopolies continue as leaked contracts reveals Pfizer’s abuse of monopoly powers

October 21, 2021: Last week’s meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council failed to decide on the temporary waiver on monopoly rights for COIVD-19 vaccines and related products, despite support from over 100 WTO member countries and numerous reports and protests urging it to do so.

Covid medicine monopolies waiver can accelerate global vaccine rollout: major reports

October 11, 2021: Two major reports have exposed the failings of the current system of global vaccine production and distribution, recommending both increased emergency donations of vaccines and the temporary waiver of intellectual property (IP) rights at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to enable production of cheap vaccines in low-income countries.

Campaign for global vaccine equity featured on ABC News

October 6, 2021: The campaign for a “TRIPS Waiver” has been featured across ABC News, with AFTINET Convenor Dr. Patricia Ranald telling ABC Radio National AM that the COVID pandemic represents an enormous challenge for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the international community:

“If the WTO cannot respond to the needs of the majority of people in the world … who are saying, 'We need this waiver of monopolies in order to be able to save millions of lives,' then I think this will be a significant failure for the World Trade Organization."

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