France Will Officially Announce Support Of The TRIPS Waiver

Jun 11, 2021

In response to the announcement today from French President, Emmanuel Macron, that France will support a temporary waiver on Intellectual Property for COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments, Oxfam’s Health Policy Manager, Anna Marriott, said:

“It is fantastic news that President Macron has joined US President Biden on the right side of history by supporting the calls from India and South Africa, as well as millions of people around the world, for a temporary waiver of intellectual property for COVID vaccines, tests and treatments.

“At this critically important G7 summit it has never been more urgent for all leaders to do the right thing and stop putting the profits of pharmaceutical companies before the good of humanity.

“It doesn’t make sense for the entire world to be dependent on just a handful of pharmaceutical corporations that cannot make enough vaccines for everyone. Many of the world’s poorest countries are solely reliant on doses via the COVAX scheme, but its stocks are empty and it has so far reached only one per cent of the billions of people it was set up to help. Meanwhile, COVID cases are surging across Africa.

“However many millions of doses G7 leaders pledge to donate to COVAX, there will only ever be enough if more vaccines are being produced and the way to do that is to share the intellectual property and the technology.

“Developing countries do not want to be dependent on donations of leftover vaccines from rich nations, most of which won’t even be given until next year. They simply want the rights and the recipes to make these vaccines themselves as fast as possible and this is what must be agreed at the G7 summit this week.”

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