IAM Runs Akin Gump Article on the Perils of TRIPS Waiver Expansion
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(Geneva) – In the article “Square Peg in a Round Hole: The Dangers of Expanding the TRIPS Waiver,” written for IAM, partner Alan Yanovich, senior policy advisor Jan Walter and associate Brooke Davies discuss what they call the “false assumption” that including COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics in the waiver of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will achieve the intended result of COVID-19 patients receiving greater access to the diagnostics and therapeutics they need.
The team outlines the background of the issue, inclusive of the policy debates happening in Washington, the WTO in Geneva and across other capitals; details the risks of expanding the TRIPS waiver; and explains why the U.S. should resist expansion; and encourages public and private stakeholders to commit to engage with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The authors conclude by noting, “A weaker IP framework will only undermine the incentives to develop the new treatments and technologies necessary to address future public health challenges, and it will tip the balance against innovation and its dissemination to industries tackling other global challenges, such as climate change.”
Read the full article here, first published by IAM.
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