Wemos and EUPHA, the umbrella organization for public health associations and institutes in Europe, call upon public health experts to advocate sharing of patent rights, know-how and technology to maximize the production capacity of Covid-19 vaccines. In a joint statement, the two organizations stress that more certified pharmaceutical companies should be enabled to use their factories to produce vaccines. This is crucial in supplying all parts of the world with enough vaccines to end the corona pandemic as quickly as possible.
Wemos and EUPHA consider it of utmost importance that all national governments in Europe are aware of the need to maximize the production capacity of vaccines. They must push for effective measures to achieve this at the addresses of the European Commission and World Trade Organization. Members of EUPHA and the wider public health community can help creating this awareness by raising this issue with relevant policy makers in their country.
In their statement, Wemos and EUPHA explain that two steps are crucial to maximize the production capacity of vaccines: 1) temporary suspension of intellectual property rights, preferably voluntarily, and otherwise through the so-called TRIPS waiver, and 2) the sharing of know-how and technology for vaccine production, through initiatives like the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub. The statement provides detailed information on the current global manufacturing capacity, recognized issues in expanding that capacity, and the adhering solutions.
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