The People's Vaccine: Intellectual Property, Access to Essential Medicines, and the Coronavirus COVID-19

This paper explores intellectual property and access to essential medicines in the context of coronavirus COVID-19 public health crisis. It considers policy solutions counteract vaccine nationalism profiteering by pharmaceutical companies developers. campaign for development a People's Vaccine led People’s Alliance, UNAIDS, Oxfam Public Citizen. The WHO has established ACT Accelerator order boost research, development, deployment technologies. However, operation COVAX thus far been falling short its original ambitions. Medicines Patent Pool expanded jurisdiction include sharing related COVID-19. Meanwhile, Costa Rica proposed Technology Access – an idea new institutional structure which taken up WHO. In crisis, there also discussion use compulsory licensing crown anti-competitive behavior. There push Universities Allied Essential (UAEM) others technologies developed with government funding. Open COVID Pledge number owners. response assertion proprietary rights respect technologies, open movement championed Science models science. India South Africa have put forward waiver proposal TRIPS Council enable countries take action without fear retribution under trade laws. While United States willing support Waiver vaccines, remain opponents including European Union, Germany, Japan, Switzerland. makes case that international law should accommodate Vaccine.