U.S., EU Pledge to Lower Export Barriers for COVID-19 Products

The U.S. and EU reached an agreement to reduce export restrictions for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics at a Tuesday summit meeting in Brussels.

In addition to avoiding “unnecessary export restrictions,” they have agreed to create a Joint EU-U.S. COVID Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Taskforce to expand vaccine and therapeutics production capacity by “building new production facilities for vaccines and therapeutics, maintaining open and secure supply chains, and encouraging voluntary sharing of know-how and technology.”

The EU recently submitted its own proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO), calling for reduced export restrictions for COVID-19 medicines, global manufacturing expansions and pledges to keep COVID-19 vaccines affordable for poorer nations. Although the EU favors voluntary sharing, it also suggested that compulsory licensing is an acceptable mechanism for individual governments to exercise during the pandemic under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Members of the TRIPS council agreed in a June 8-9 meeting to start formal negotiations on a plan to improve COVID-19 vaccine supplies to developing countries and to discuss an amended proposal by India and South Africa for temporary waivers on intellectual property for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics (DID, June 2).

The TRIPS council is meeting again informally today to reconsider the proposal ahead of a formal meeting scheduled for June 29. ― Martin Berman-Gorvine