Autumn Statement reaction: After cementing aid cuts, UK can claw back tattered international reputation with action on COVID medicines
Autumn Statement reaction: After cementing aid cuts, UK can claw back tattered international reputation with action on COVID medicines
Release date: 17 November 2022
Jeremy Hunt has previously called for the UK to support an intellectual property waiver on COVID-19 pharmaceuticals.
Responding to today’s Autumn Statement, Mohga Kamal-Yanni, policy co-lead for the People’s Vaccine Alliance, said:
“It is shameful that the UK is sticking to aid cuts at a time when people in developing countries are struggling to deal with COVID-19, which reversed pre-pandemic health gains. However, there is one change that the government can make to support access to COVID-19 medicines in developing countries that will not cost a penny. And it could claw back some of the UK’s tattered international reputation.
“In June, the UK accepted a World Trade Organization decision on intellectual property rules to ease the production of generic COVID-19 vaccines. But the UK is currently holding up negotiations aimed at bringing COVID-19 tests and treatments into this decision; a move that could make these products available and affordable to people in developing countries.
“Jeremy Hunt himself called a COVID-19 intellectual property waiver a ‘bold move … to which we should give our full support.’ He must now follow through on his words and support medicine manufacturing in developing countries by extending the WTO decision to include tests and medicines. Otherwise, the UK would be allowing loss of life and livelihood and hindering developing countries’ economic recovery. ”
/Ends
Notes
On 6 May 2021, after President Biden announced US support for a waiver of intellectual property rules for COVID-19 tools, Jeremy Hunt tweeted:
This is a bold move by @JoeBiden to which we should give our full support. No one is safe from new variants until everyone is safe & this could help stop the tragedy in India spreading to Africa
Biden backs suspending Covid-19 vaccine patents
Tweet link: https://t.co/CJbiFUHBsg
After 18 months of negotiations, the WTO finally decided in June 2022 to streamline existing rights to use compulsory licenses to produce generic COVID-19 vaccines for domestic use and for export without the patent holder’s permission. The June decision required member states to reach a decision on tests and treatments by December 2022. Negotiations to reach a decision
on tests and treatments are ongoing. The WTO’s intellectual property council next meets on Tuesday 22 November.
The UK is reportedly holding up negotiations to include tests and treatments in the WTO decision: https://healthpolicy-watch.news/how-do-you-spell-deadlock-t-r-i-p-s/
The UK has cut its contribution to the Global Fund by almost a third: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/14/uk-criticised-for-disastrous-decision-to-cut-health-aid-pledge-by-almost-a-third
Media contact
Joe Karp-Sawey, senior media advisor, People’s Vaccine Alliance