WHO Favors COVID-19 Intellectual Property Pool

The World Health Organization’s director-general has endorsed the voluntary sharing of patent rights and pooling of data to help develop COVID-19 drugs.

The goal is to enable governments, industry, universities and nonprofits to work together under the banner of the WHO.

The idea was introduced by Costa Rican officials who feared that some COVID-19 products, once developed, would not be made available for poorer nations.

“I support this proposal, and we are working with Costa Rica to finalize the details,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.