Today in the Dáil People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith called on the government to back an initiative from Oxfam and Human Rights Watch for authorities around the world to wave Intellectual Property rights in regard to the Covid 19 vaccine. The call was made in light of the scandal relating to supply of the vaccine across Europe.
The TD said that there is a fear that companies who make the vaccine and have IP rights on the product will put their desire for profit over the needs of public health.
The TD read a motion from People Before Profit on the People’s Vaccine into the Dáil record at the debate this morning.
Notes to Editors:
Wording of the motion read into Dáil record.
129. “That Dáil Éireann, in view of the serious threat that Covid-19 poses to people all over the
world:
— calls on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow all countries to choose to
neither grant nor enforce patents and other intellectual property related to Covid-19
drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other technologies for the duration of the pandemic;
— mandates the Government to demand that European Union policy is changed so as it
votes at the WTO to allow this to occur, and Ireland should support the proposal
brought forward by India and South Africa to suspend aspects of the WTO TRIPS
Agreement until the pandemic is over; and
— calls for full open disclosure of all scientific and clinical trial data related to the
development and production of such vaccines, and should this occur, further calls for
the convocation of an expert panel to independently analyse the data and develop
public health communication strategies based on their findings, that aim to increase
public trust and participation in the immunisation process.”
