New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday informed that waiving of TRIPS proposed by India and South Africa has gathered support from several countries. Addressing a virtual media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "India and South Africa's proposal to WTO for relaxation in norms of agreement on TRIPS has gathered support from several countries". "Introduced last October, the proposal aims to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines by developing nations", he added.
Read:|PM Modi asks leaders of European Union to support TRIPS waiver
On Tuesday, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed with consensus to start text-based negotiations on a proposal submitted by India and South Africa about patent waivers to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. By July end, the members of WTO is expected to come to an agreed text.
In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted a proposal seeking a waiver for all WTO members on the implementations of certain provisions of the TRIPs agreement about treatment, containment and prevention of Covid-19. Moreover, in May this year, a few co-sponsors have submitted a revised proposal, including India, South Africa, and Indonesia. Thereafter, in May itself, Joe-Biden led administration in America announced to support the waiving of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on vaccines.