EU 'ready to discuss' COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver as drugmakers push back

FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen removes her mask while meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein in Brussels, Belgium May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/PoolBRUSSELS: The European Union is willing to discuss a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday , as drugmakers fought their ground as their share prices tumbled.

Von der Leyen, speaking to the European University Institute in Florence, said the European Union was ready to discuss any proposals that address the crisis"in an effective and pragmatic manner". The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations said a waiver would invite new manufacturers that lacked essential know-how and oversight.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Italy supported suspending patents, and that Europe should be courageous.French President Emmanuel Macron said he was"very much in favour" of opening up intellectual property. However, a French government official said the lack of vaccines was the result of a lack of production capacity and upstream components, not of patents.

South Africa and India made the initial waiver proposal at the WTO in October, gathering support from many developing countries, which say it is a vital step in making vaccines more widely available.

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