World Trade Organization proposed patent waiver for Covid medical tools appears watered down as monopolies and access barriers in key therapeutics and diagnosis were not addressed. On Friday, after two years of negotiation, the Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement decision announced in Geneva had little resemblance to the original proposal demanding suspension of Intellectual Property (IP) on all Covid vaccines tests and treatments in response to the pandemic. IP think-tank Medicine, law, and policy stated that the decision announced by WTO only included vaccines though it would have been useful for therapeutics and other health technologies. 

Several public health experts have stated that the decision is significant for the domestic market. Most importantly, the compromised deal largely reiterates developing countries existing rights to override patents for public health. Therefore, in the absence of meaningful suspension of monopoly rights, Governments should consider using all available legal and policy options to overcome IP barriers and address the challenges in Covid medical tool accessibility. 

MSF, an international humanitarian agency stated that the agreement fails to offer an effective solution to increase people’s access to needed medical tools during the pandemic.

(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/wto-deal-not-enough-for-med-access-experts/articleshow/92289872.cms )