Making Intellectual Property a Common Good to Combat Global Pandemics and the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP): Responding to the Challenges Exerted by Big Pharma and Some High-Income Countries

The COVID-19 outbreak has created a global race for research into vaccine, diagnostic and therapeutic among institutes, governments, big-tech pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma). In this context, intellectual property rights (IPRs) play prominent role in incentivizing vaccines. Simultaneously, IPRs, particularly the patent of Big Pharma, create restrictions on fair access to affordable Besides, economically powerful high-income countries have purchased reserved large amount vaccines while low middle-income (LMICs) been struggling obtain sufficient vaccine doses. These factors contributed increasing gap between LMICs. Having foreseen likely effect LMICs being discriminated against production distribution, community already made some efforts revisit normative aspects IPRs by making common good achieve health during pandemic. For example, World Health Organization (WHO) launched Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), considering proposal Costa Rica. C-TAP intended ensure technology transfer, disclosure research, flexible licensing open innovations. However, Pharma criticised directly interfered effective functioning C-TAP. Therefore, there remains question as whether approach would only be idealistic or realistic governance public health. Accordingly, paper critically analyses prospects that offer overcome IPRs-related barriers resource constraints accessing reflect how tackle countries’ influences