WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced its support for extending the upcoming deadline to make a decision about World Trade Organization (WTO) rules standing in the way of global access to COVID diagnostics and therapeutics, and calling of the U.S. International Trade Commission to provide more data on the subject. Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of the Trade Justice Education Fund, released the following statement in response:
“There have been at least 290,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the WTO punted on the question of global access to tests & treatments back in June. How many more need to die before the U.S. joins the right side of history?
“We’re in the third year of the pandemic and billions of people worldwide still don’t have access to COVID tests, vaccines and medicines. The call for ‘more information’ cannot be an excuse for inaction. While pharmaceutical monopolies make billions, people are still dying, others are getting long COVID, the economy is suffering and new variants remain a constant threat.
“It’s long past time for the Biden administration to support the modest changes to WTO pharmaceutical monopoly protections standing in the way of COVID test and treatment access around the world.”