Rich countries have blocked a vaccine intellectual property waiver for over a year and are now pressing the global south to accept a half-baked 'compromise'. Boris Johnson's government still has an opportunity to make sure we get a proper waiver that gives producers in the global south the freedom and information they need.
Business as usual has brought the world devastating vaccine apartheid. High-income countries like the UK have ordered many times the number of doses they need, while only 14% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose.
We are in this situation because big pharma companies hold patents on vaccines, treatments and health technologies and prevent other manufacturers from making more. But we can change this.
Join us in writing to the UK government and the permanent representative of the UK to the World Trade Organisation asking to back the proposal for the suspension of patents during the pandemic.
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