Should the knowledge needed to make the Covid-19 vaccines be freely available to all?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 16 September 2021
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In May, the Biden administration surprised the world by saying it would not object on an intellectual property waiver for Covid-19 vaccines.
America has been a staunch defender of patent protections, which bar new inventions being cheaply copied around the world. So, the first reactions to the announcement were - amazement, really. Second reactions tended to depend on which side of this debate you were on.
Who should be the gatekeepers of the knowledge which underpins the development of cutting edge pharmaceutical breakthroughs, like Covid-19 vaccines? In this week’s Inquiry, Sandra Kanthal finds out why the answer to that question really depends on who you ask.
Producer: Sandra Kanthal Editor: Richard Vadon
(Logos of various companies producing the Covid-19 vaccine. Credit: Artur Widak/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You were listening to the inquiry on the BBC World Service with me, Sandra Canthal. |
| 0:05.4 | Each week, one question for expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:12.2 | On May 5th, Catherine Tye, the United States Trade Representative, |
| 0:16.4 | released a statement which took the world by surprise. |
| 0:21.0 | It was an announcement that the Biden administration |
| 0:23.8 | would support waving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. |
| 0:30.0 | Intellectual property protections describe things like patents, |
| 0:33.6 | copyrights and trademarks which make it possible to profit from new innovations. |
| 0:38.6 | America has been a staunch defender of these protections |
| 0:42.4 | which bar new inventions from being cheaply copied around the world. |
| 0:47.4 | So, the first reactions to the announcement were |
| 0:50.4 | amazement, really. |
| 0:52.2 | Second reactions tended to depend on which side of this debate you were on. |
| 1:00.6 | Humanitarian organizations argue that intellectual property waivers |
| 1:04.4 | are a very good thing, a way to get more vaccines into more arms around the world. |
| 1:10.2 | While people in the pharmaceutical industry protest that giving away |
| 1:13.4 | their intellectual proprietary knowledge will stifle the investment |
| 1:17.0 | in research and development needed for this and future pandemics. |
| 1:21.4 | So this week, I'll be asking, should the knowledge needed |
| 1:25.0 | to produce the COVID-19 vaccines be freely available to everyone? |
| 1:34.4 | Part one, the waiver. |
| 1:43.4 | A waiver would allow private interest to come into the space and say, |
... |
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