The EU’s head of trade wants to boost Covid jab production further, not give up patents

The European head of commerce has called for a rapid increase in world vaccine production as the best way to deal with the pandemic, and next week discussed a narrow approach to refusing U.S.-protected patents.

Valdis Dombrovskis told the FT that the EU’s approach is based on “vaccine response strategies in reality”, stressing that “the main problem right now is related to the lack of sufficient manufacturing capacity” rather than patent issues.

The EU has exported doses of 250m vaccines The US has so far allowed 25m versus, was blinded last month in Washington he announced it was rocking behind calls for patent refusals to boost global vaccine production and save lives.

This view of the US would allow any manufacturer in the world to make “copier” vaccines without being sued for intellectual property infringement. India and South Africa are working within the WTO, with the support of many other countries, including China, Argentina and Indonesia.

Dombrovskis said he still said “there was no concrete US proposal on the table and we don’t even know what’s coming.” Instead, “We are putting on the table a concrete EU proposal on how we can achieve this goal of global vaccine deployment,” he said.

The EU’s vision for Brussels to present to the World Trade Organization next week is based on three areas. In the documents seen, the FT promotes the abolition of export restrictions and support for expanding production, as well as through subsidies.

And third, instead of renouncing patents, Brussels believes that there is already enough flexibility in intellectual property rules, through the so-called Trips agreement, to implement the necessary licenses.

“Intellectual property is not and should not be an obstacle to the equitable inclusion of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics in the pandemic,” the documents say. “Limited manufacturing capacity, raw material procurement and other inputs are the main bottles.”

Although the waiver of patents is a widespread invalidation of intellectual property protection, the vaccine license allows for the overwriting of patents under certain limited conditions.

Brussels has consistently argued that the debate is over the refusal of patents runs the risk of distracting attention from more productive ways to boost production. The debate is also very sensitive for the EU, where the creator of Covid-19 vaccines like BioNTech is located.

Earlier this week, in talks with the WTO, the US said it was ready for specific negotiations and asked them to submit proposals that other countries could approve. The EU plan seeks to influence discussions on intellectual property and a WTO meeting at Covid from 8 to 9 June.

Dombrovskis, meanwhile, said he was urging EU drug companies to “take voluntary licensing agreements and cooperation agreements with developing countries to have additional manufacturing capacity.”

The EU trade commissioner said the main aim of the plan, which would eventually be created in the WTO, was to “work to ensure universal and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments”.

“We are the only major producer region that can reliably say that we have achieved this goal so far since the crisis began,” he said.

Referring to other countries that produce vaccines like the US, he added: “We are glad to see that others are starting to catch up now, but they should do it faster.”