Hidden vaccines: should global political leaders ignore patent protections? – BBC Newsnight

Newsnight has learned that WHO countries have agreed that they should consider rejecting patents to help supply vaccines around the world. Please subscribe HERE

World Health Organization officials have warned that the world is on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” as Covid’s unbalanced vaccination policies put increasing pressure on pharmaceutical companies to refuse to protect their vaccine patents. They are members of a group of countries in India and South Africa, arguing that they should be able to get their vaccines without first obtaining a license. The Newsnight newspaper has seen a document that, for the first time, countries in the World Health Organization have agreed that they should conduct a patent study to support the global supply of vaccines. Should global political leaders ignore patent protections? News Cohen Health Correspondent Deb Cohen reported. Emma Barnett is joined by the former President of Ireland and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, now President of The Elders, Mary Robinson and Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. #Newsnight #BBCNews Newsnight is the BBC’s premier news and current affairs television program – with strong analysis, discussion, exclusivity and dialogue. Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight
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