The Biden-Harris administration in the US is moving to waive intellectual property protections for Covid vaccines. Photo / Bloomberg
The Biden-Harris administration in the US is moving to waive intellectual property protections for Covid vaccines. Photo / Bloomberg
The potential waiving of intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines is being described as a game-changer that could help developing countries as well as New Zealand.
This morning US trade representative Katherine Tai said the Biden Harris US Administration will support waiving such protections.
"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," Tai said.
"The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines."
Tai said the US would participate in negotiations around an international waiver of the protections, having previously blocked such negotiations last year.
The Green Party also welcomed the move, adding that it was "deeply disappointing" that New Zealand had so far not supported calls by India, South Africa, and other nations to ease trade rules that would make vaccines more affordable.
"It is a huge relief that the US has come to the table to support a People's Vaccine," the Green Party said in a statement.
Director of the immunisation advisory centre Dr Nikki Turner said the move was "fantastic", though the impact and the timeline remained unclear.
"The principle of waiving IP is hugely important in terms of the equity issues. The fact rich countries like us have got great access to the best vaccines and low-income countries haven't is appalling," she told the Herald.
"So for the Americans to recognise the importance of waiving IP in this crisis is just fantastic news, and it should make a huge difference.
"The rich countries have to stop being selfish here. It's in everybody's best interest to get over the equity barriers as quickly as possible."
Associate Professor Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre, says moves to waive IP protection from Covid vaccines is "fantastic" news. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The hope is that it would make it easier to and cheaper to make vaccines, and then get them urgently to the countries that need them the most, "particularly middle-income countries that have the capacity to manufacture vaccines", Turner said.
"You can scale up in more places, you can make larger volumes, you can get affordable vaccines out to middle- and low-income countries in a much more rapid way than is happening at the moment."
Turner added that having more of the world vaccinated makes it less likely for new Covid-19 variants to emerge.
"Variants are emerging because of the amount of Covid that's circulating. So the less Covid that circulates, the ability to mutate drops away dramatically.
"It's good news for us, too. If we want to open New Zealand borders, then we want vaccinated people to be coming and going from our borders from whatever country they come from."
Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker also welcomed it as a "great development".
"Good manufacturing practice makes it quite expensive to produce vaccines, but if the IP protections are waived, then it's likely to make it more affordable.
"It's a huge step forward from a global level. Maybe this will make it faster, easier, cheaper for more companies to get into the production business."
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins admits he is "nervous" about the intended scale of the vaccine rollout from July. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Yesterday's weekly vaccine update showed that New Zealand was tracking ahead of forecast.
But there has been confusion about the role of GPs, and who can now be vaccinated since the third priority group kicked off at the start of the month.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he wanted to check the communications going out to GPs and DHBs.
"I'm aware that there does seem to be a little bit of noise there from GPs saying that they're not clear about when they're going to get it or what their role is going to be."
Some in group 3 - aged 65 or over, with an underlying health condition, pregnant, disabled or in prison - have tried to get vaccinated this week but have been told to try later in the month.
Hipkins said each DHB had their own rollout plans.
"There will be some regional variation, because DHBs will adopt slightly different approaches, depending on how they're targeting different population groups in this early phase.
"In terms of the 65-plus group, it's a big group of people. We won't have enough vaccines to be able to do all of them by the end of June, but we can certainly make a start.
"That's why DHBs will be working with primary care to identify exactly how they do this."
Hipkins conceded that he was "nervous" about the goal to vaccinate up to 70,000 people a day after July, when the rollout to the general population starts.
So far 217,603 first doses and 87,297 second doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered.
