And the United States’ Prioritization of Pharmaceutical Monopoly Protections Isn’t Helping
Prior to the start of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi from February 26 to 29, Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of the Trade Justice Education Fund, released the following statement on the WTO’s expected failure to address the barriers it imposes on COVID test and treatment access:
“The United States is showing an ugly face to the world this month as it continues blocking widespread calls for the WTO to ease pharmaceutical monopoly rules that restrict global access to COVID tests and treatments.
“In December 2022, as a deadline for a decision on modestly expanding access to COVID diagnostics and therapeutics within the WTO approached, the Biden administration demanded additional time to study the issue. Already years into the pandemic, the U.S. blocked progress on access to medicines for almost a year further as it conducted its research — only to produce a noncommittal summary of public health expert versus pharmaceutical industry views that any half-way sober undergrad with access to ChatGPT could have banged out over a long weekend.
“Heading into this new Ministerial, it’s no surprise that the U.S. block on easing restrictions on access to meds reportedly remains in place. Meanwhile, the vaccine apartheid that characterized the rollout of first-generation COVID vaccines is now being replicated with COVID treatments and next-generation vaccines. Far too many in the Global South remain without access to the COVID vaccines, tests and treatments many in the Global North take for granted in large part because the U.S., European Union and others continue to prioritize pharmaceutical profits above public health.
“When the WTO failed to act decisively during its last ministerial in 2022, roughly 300 public health and civil society organizations across the globe called on governments to break the WTO’s stranglehold on access to medicines. The WTO has proven itself completely incapable of acting in the interests of humanity. As such, the Trade Justice Education Fund reiterates that earlier call for governments to ‘circumvent the WTO’s pharmaceutical monopoly rules when possible and outright defy those rules when needed.’”
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