When the World Trade Organization decided to ease patent rules on COVID-19 vaccines in June, prominent players on both sides lashed out.
Thomas Cueni, Director-General of IFMA, a trade association representing pharamaceutical companies, said the negotiating process had been “challenging from the beginning”.
“The decision is a disservice to the scientists that left no stone unturned and undermines manufacturing partnerships on every continent. The single biggest factor affecting vaccine scarcity is not intellectual property, but trade.”
