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Unsichere Position ABER Abkehr von Trumps "America First"

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Gegen ein temporäres Aussetzen des TRIPS Abkommens

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- Moderna: Freiwilliger Verzicht auf Patentrechte
- BioNTech: bestehen weiterhin auf Patenrecht, möchten ihre Produktionsstätten und Knowhow weitergeben (Biontainer) jedoch unter eigener  Aufsicht
- vfa: Gegen die Aufhebung des Patenschutzes

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Neben Patentfreigabe brauchen wir Lizenzvergaben und mehr Exporte von Know-How und Technologien

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- Schutz des geistigen Eigentums
- Investitionsschutz, Innovationsschutz

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- Freiwilligkeit der Privatindustrie unterstützen
- Patentfreigabe führe nicht zu mehr Impfstoff
- COVAX dient der Verteilung von Impfstoffdosen

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"Der Schutz von geistigem Eigentum ist Quelle von Innovation und muss es auch in Zukunft bleiben"

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"Die Herstellung von Impfstoffen (insb. mRNA) ist zu komplex. Eine Patentfreigabe würde daher nicht zu mehr Impfstoffen führen."

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MODERNA: „Wir wollen in Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen sicherstellen, dass unsere Patente den Zugang zu unserem Corona-Impfstoff nicht behindern. Deswegen verzichten wir darauf, unsere Patentrechte in 92 Ländern der Welt zu verfolgen.“

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MODERNA: „Wir wollen in Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen sicherstellen, dass unsere Patente den Zugang zu unserem Corona-Impfstoff nicht behindern. Deswegen verzichten wir darauf, unsere Patentrechte in 92 Ländern der Welt zu verfolgen.“

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Corona-Impfstoff Moderna verzichtet auf Patentschutz in ärmeren Ländern

In Entwicklungsländern sollen mehr Menschen gegen Corona geimpft werden - daher will der US-Konzern Moderna dort gegen Kopien seines Impfstoffs nicht mehr juristisch vorgehen. Konkurrent Biontech hat ebenfalls Pläne für ärmere Länder.

Die „Ärzte ohne Grenzen" kritisieren die Impfstoffhersteller schon seit Monaten - und sie sind nicht die einzigen. Die Unternehmen sollten ihre Vakzin-Patente doch bitte rausrücken, fordern die Nichtregierungsorganisationen. Nur so könne die Impfkampagne in den Entwicklungsländern endlich in Schwung kommen. Denn während in den westlichen Industrieländern nahezu jeder, der will, die Spritze erhalten hat, sind in den Ländern mit niedrigem Einkommen gerade mal fünf Prozent der Bevölkerung geimpft.

Der US-Impfstoff-Hersteller Moderna kommt solchen Forderungen nun einen großen Schritt entgegen - künftig will das Unternehmen in fast hundert Ländern der Welt dauerhaft auf die Durchsetzung seiner Patentrechte verzichten. Dies kündigte Moderna am heutigen Dienstag anlässlich einer Veranstaltung der CEPI, eines Zusammenschlusses von Regierungen, Unternehmen, und Forschungseinrichtungen zum Zwecke der Epidemie-Vorbeugung, an. Auf der Veranstaltung erklärte das Unternehmen zudem, künftig Impfstoffe gegen Krankheiten wie Malaria, Ebola oder HIV zu entwickeln; entsprechende klinische Studien sollen bis zum Jahr 2025 starten. Außerdem will Moderna seine mRNA-Plattform auch für externe Wissenschaftler öffnen.

Lesen Sie auch: Wie Moderna seine Marktmacht in Deutschland ausbaut

Zum Verzicht auf den Patentschutz erklärte Modernas Top-Manager Stephen Hoge der WirtschaftsWoche die Pläne des Unternehmens: „Wir wollen in Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen sicherstellen, dass unsere Patente den Zugang zu unserem Corona-Impfstoff nicht behindern. Deswegen verzichten wir darauf, unsere Patentrechte in 92 Ländern der Welt zu verfolgen." Generika-Firmen können so mit einer Kopie der Impfstoff-Technologie Vakzine produzieren. Die 92 Länder, in denen Moderna künftig auf seine Patentrechte verzichtet, wurden von der internationalen Impfallianz Gavi definiert. Gavi griff dabei wiederum auf Daten der Weltbank zum Bruttoinlandseinkommen in den Jahren 2018 und 2019 zurück. Zu den Ländern zählen vor allem afrikanische Staaten sowie unter anderem die Philippinen, Indonesien und Indien ( siehe Grafik unten).

„Wir machen keinen Gewinn - im Gegenteil"

Moderna hatte bislang zugesagt, seine Patentrechte in ärmeren Ländern bis zum Ende der Pandemie nicht zu verfolgen. „Jetzt gilt diese Zusage unbegrenzt", erklärt Hoge, der dem Vorstand von Moderna angehört. Eine Lizenzgebühr fällt laut Hoge nicht an: „Für die Nutzung der Patente verlangt Moderna kein Geld. Wir machen damit keinen Gewinn - im Gegenteil." Moderna liefert die Technologie bereits in mehrere Länder, in denen das Unternehmen seinen COVID-19-Impfstoff herstellt. „Einen weiteren Know-how-Transfer in zusätzliche Länder können wir jedoch nicht leisten", schränkt Hoge ein, „das ist ein sehr intensiver Prozess und würde die Ressourcen unseres Unternehmens völlig überfordern."

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Wann der vor Ort produzierte Impfstoff dann in den 92 Ländern auf den Markt kommt, ist nach Ansicht von Beobachtern unklar, das hänge im Wesentlichen von den Regulierungsbehörden ab.

Zu den Ländern, in denen Moderna künftig auf Patentschutz verzichten will, zählt die Ukraine. Moderna bemühe sich, die Bevölkerung dort über Hilfsprogramme mit seinem Corona-Impfstoff zu versorgen: „Wir sind zuversichtlich, dass unsere Lieferketten für die Impfstoffproduktion halten werden. Aber das ist nicht der entscheidende Faktor. Es gibt dort Menschen, die leiden, und wir tun alles, was wir können, um dieses Leid zu lindern", so Hoge.

Zudem kündigt Moderna an, eine eigene Impfstoff-Produktionsstätte in Kenia aufzubauen, dazu hat das Unternehmen Anfang März eine entsprechende Absichtserklärung unterzeichnet. Pro Jahr sollen dort 500 Millionen Impfdosen produziert werden, frühestmöglicher Start ist 2023. Modernas deutscher Konkurrent Biontech hatte vor wenigen Wochen ebenfalls angekündigt, eine Impfstoff-Produktionsstätte in Afrika aufbauen zu wollen. Als mögliche Standorte sind Ruanda, Senegal und Südafrika im Gespräch. Im zweiten Halbjahr 2022 soll der Aufbau beginnen, auch dort soll 2023 die Produktion anlaufen.

Lesen Sie auch: Biontech verschifft Impfstoff-Anlage nach Afrika - und bekommt harsche Kritik

Zur Frage der geistigen Eigentumsrechte hatte Biontech stets erklärt, seine Patente nicht freigeben zu wollen und darauf verwiesen, dass die Produktion vom mRNA-Impfstoffen sehr komplex sei. Allerdings hat auch Biontech durchblicken lassen, Patentverstöße in Entwicklungsländern nicht zu verfolgen.

Mehr zum Thema: Weltweit liefern Pharmakonzerne Medikamente gegen das Coronavirus. Eine aktuelle Analyse zeigt: Nicht alle Präparate helfen gegen die Omikron-Variante. Ein deutscher Kandidat gilt als Geheimtipp: Diese Firmen entwickeln die wirksamsten Anti-Omikron-Medikamente

© Handelsblatt GmbH - Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Nutzungsrechte erwerben?

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Corona-Impfstoff: Moderna verzichtet auf Patentschutz in ärmeren Ländern

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In Entwicklungsländern sollen mehr Menschen gegen Corona geimpft werden - daher will der US-Konzern Moderna dort gegen Kopien seines Impfstoffs nicht mehr juristisch vorgehen. Konkurrent Biontech hat ebenfalls Pläne für ärmere Länder. Die „Ärzte ohne Grenzen" kritisieren die Impfstoffhersteller schon seit Monaten - und sie sind nicht die einzigen.

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BIONTECH: erklärt, „das weltweite Angebot an Pfizer/Biontech-Impfstoffen auszuweiten“; „Patente sind nicht limitierende Faktor für die Produktion unseres Impfstoffs“

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BIONTECH: erklärt, „das weltweite Angebot an Pfizer/Biontech-Impfstoffen auszuweiten“; „Patente sind nicht limitierende Faktor für die Produktion unseres Impfstoffs“

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 "Diejenigen, die die Impfstoffe entwickelt haben, müssen in die Lage versetzt werden, möglichst schnell Lizenzen zu vergeben oder ihre eigene Produktionskapazität zu erhöhen."

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 "Diejenigen, die die Impfstoffe entwickelt haben, müssen in die Lage versetzt werden, möglichst schnell Lizenzen zu vergeben oder ihre eigene Produktionskapazität zu erhöhen."

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Webseite der Bundesregierung | Startseite

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Die portugiesische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft hat an diesem Wochenende zu einem zweitägigen Gipfel nach Porto eingeladen. Er gliederte sich in drei Teile: einen Sozialgipfel, einen informellen Europäischen Rat sowie einen EU-Indien-Gipfel. Einige Teilnehmer waren vor Ort, andere - wie Kanzlerin Merkel - nahmen digital teil.

Portugal ist es in den vergangenen Monaten gelungen, mit intensiven Maßnahmen die Inzidenzzahlen in den Griff zu bekommen. Dennoch hat die Bundeskanzlerin Ministerpräsident Costa gebeten, per Videozuschaltung an dem Gipfel teilzunehmen. Sie traf diese Entscheidung mit Blick auf die Situation in Deutschland und die strengen Beschränkungen, unter denen die Menschen in Deutschland derzeit zu leben haben.

Soziale Dimension Europas stärken

Im Mittelpunkt des Treffens stand die Europäische Sozialpolitik - ein Schwerpunkt der portugiesischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft. Bevor am Freitagabend alle 27 Staats- und Regierungschefs zu ersten Gesprächen zusammengekommen sind, fand bereits am Nachmittag eine hochrangige Konferenz zur Umsetzung der Europäischen Säule sozialer Rechte statt.

Dazu eingeladen waren die Staats- und Regierungschefs oder in Vertretung die Arbeits- und Sozialminister. Für die Bundesregierung war Bundessozialminister Heil dabei. Außerdem nehmen die Spitzen der EU-Institutionen teil sowie die Sozialpartner und Vertreter der Zivilgesellschaft. Die europäischen Sozialpartner verabschiedeten eine Erklärung zur Stärkung der Europäischen Säule Sozialer Rechte, das sogenannte „Porto Social Commitment" (Englisch).

Ausgangspunkt der Gespräche war der Aktionsplan der Europäischen Kommission zur Umsetzung der Europäischen Säule sozialer Rechte, die auf dem Sozialgipfel 2017 im schwedischen Göteborg proklamiert wurde. Der Aktionsplan legt drei Hauptziele fest, die bis 2030 erreicht werden sollen:
1. Beschäftigungsquote der 20-64-Jährigen von mindestens 78 Prozent in der Europäischen Union
2. jährliche Fortbildungen für mindestens 60 Prozent der Erwachsenen,
3. Verringerung der Zahl der von sozialer Ausgrenzung oder Armut bedrohten Menschen um mindestens 15 Millionen Menschen, darunter 5 Millionen Kinder

Staats- und Regierungschefs verabschieden „Erklärung von Porto"

Beim anschließenden informellen Europäischen Rat am Samstag befassten sich die Staats- und Regierungschefs ebenfalls mit der sozialen Dimension der EU und verständigten sich auf die „Erklärung von Porto" . Kanzlerin Merkel begrüßte den Aktionsplan der Kommission. Die Diskussion zum sozialen Europa habe zum richtigen Zeitpunkt stattgefunden - denn in allen Mitgliedsstaaten „sind gerade junge Menschen sehr stark beeinträchtigt", auch Arbeitsplätze seien in Gefahr. Die soziale Säule der Europäischen Union sei daher „von ganz besonderer Wichtigkeit".

Europäische Sozialpolitik - Warum ist das wichtig?
Die Folgen der Pandemie, der Klimawandel und digitale Wandel stellen die EU vor enorme Herausforderungen. Die soziale Dimension spielt dabei eine wichtige Rolle. Das Bekenntnis zu Einheit und Solidarität der EU bedeutet auch, Chancengleichheit für alle zu gewährleisten und dafür zu sorgen, dass niemand zurückgelassen wird.

Austausch über die Pandemie

Neben der EU-Sozialpolitik war die Pandemiebekämpfung ein weiteres wichtiges Thema der Staats- und Regierungschefs. Kanzlerin Merkel begrüßte es sehr, dass die Europäische Kommission einen weiteren großen Vertrag mit BionTech/Pfizer abgeschlossen hat, der zusätzliche und künftige Impfungen in den Blick nimmt. Der Vertrag umfasse auch Leistungen des Herstellers für die Anpassung des Impfstoffs, wenn es zu Mutationen komme. „Wir werden diese mittel- und langfristige Produktion von Impfstoffen und die Unterstützung von Innovation und Wissenschaft natürlich brauchen", erklärte Merkel.

Rat diskutiert Patentschutz für Impfstoffe

Merkel berichtete, der Rat habe eine sehr ausgewogene Diskussion über die Impfstoffe geführt. Sie habe deutlich gemacht, dass sie in der Freigabe von Patenten nicht die Lösung sehe, um mehr Menschen mit Impfstoff zu versorgen. Dafür brauche man vielmehr „die Kreativität und Innovationskraft der Unternehmen" - und dazu „gehört für mich der Patentschutz", betonte Merkel. Es gebe keinerlei Anzeichen dafür, dass die Hersteller nicht daran arbeiten, „die Produktionskapazität zu erhöhen, Lizenzen zu vergeben und zu kooperieren". Der Weg von BionTech vom StartUp zum Großproduzenten zeige, „in welcher Geschwindigkeit hier wie viel geschafft wurde".

Wichtig sei, „wirklich auch qualitativ hochwertigen Impfstoff herzustellen", so Merkel. Wenn eine Patentfreigabe erfolge, ohne dass die Qualität „jedes Mal gut kontrolliert werden kann, dann sehe ich mehr Risiken als Chancen". „Wir werden alles tun, um die Produktion von Impfstoff zu erhöhen und allen Teilen der Welt Zugang zu Werken geben, die diesen Impfstoff herstellen", erklärte Merkel. Die Infragestellung des Patentschutzes sei jedoch „nicht der Weg, der uns zu mehr und besseren Impfstoff führt".

Zusammenarbeit mit Indien vertiefen

Bundeskanzlerin Merkel hatte sich bereits am Freitagabend per Video nach Porto dazugeschaltet, um gemeinsam mit den anderen Staats- und Regierungschefs auch den EU-Indien-Gipfel vorzubereiten. Dieser fand mit allen europäischen Ratsmitgliedern am Samstag statt. Der indische Ministerpräsident Modi nahm virtuell daran teil.

Kooperation bei Impfstoffproduktion

Die Corona-Pandemie war mit Blick auf die stark angestiegenen Inzidenzzahlen in Indien ein Schwerpunkt der Gespräche. Alle EU-Staaten hätten „mit Hilfsleistungen für Indien versucht, das Leid, das dieses Land im Augenblick durchmacht, zu mildern", so Merkel. Dafür habe Premierminister Modi seinen Dank ausgedrückt.

Auf dem Gipfel haben die EU und Indien sich über die Zusammenarbeit bei der Impfstoffproduktion ausgetauscht. Die Kanzlerin betonte, sie könne sich hier eine noch engere Kooperation vorstellen. Die Produktion werde noch Jahre anhalten, „um das Virus wirklich zu besiegen".

Austausch über Klimaschutz und Freihandel

Mit Blick auf den Klimaschutz bereiteten die EU und Indien gemeinsam den Weltklimagipfel vor, der im November in Glasgow stattfinden wird. Indien habe „eine Vielzahl von doch recht gigantischen Initiativen zum Ausbau der Energieversorgung mit erneuerbaren Energien, vor allem auch mit Sonnenenergie, auf den Weg gebracht", so Merkel. Im Bereich des Handels habe der Gipfel dazu geführt, dass „wieder Schwung in das Freihandelsabkommen gekommen ist", unterstrich Merkel. Die Arbeiten daran könnten nun „mit sehr viel mehr Tempo fortgesetzt werden".

Warum sind die Beziehungen der EU zu Indien wichtig?
Indien ist eine der größten und am schnellsten wachsenden Volkswirtschaften der Welt. Vor der Corona-Pandemie wuchs das Bruttoinlandsprodukt des Landes jährlich um etwa sechs Prozent. Die EU ist der größte Handelspartner Indiens, während Indien der neuntgrößte Handelspartner der EU ist. Eine vertiefte Zusammenarbeit soll den Menschen in der EU und Indien konkrete Vorteile bieten - basierend auf gemeinsamen Grundsätzen und Werten wie Demokratie, Freiheit, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Achtung der Menschenrechte.

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Europäischer Rat trifft sich zu Sozialgipfel

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Die portugiesische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft hat an diesem Wochenende zu einem zweitägigen Gipfel nach Porto eingeladen. Er gliederte sich in drei Teile: einen Sozialgipfel, einen informellen Europäischen Rat sowie einen EU-Indien-Gipfel. Einige Teilnehmer waren vor Ort, andere - wie Kanzlerin Merkel - nahmen digital teil.

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Während Deutschland bereits Boosterimpfungen anbietet, kann es für Menschen in ärmeren Ländern mitunter noch Jahre dauern, bis sie geimpft werden. Schluss mit der künstlichen Verknappung, sagen die einen und fordern eine Freigabe der Impfpatente. Das sei eine Frage der globalen Gerechtigkeit, steigere das Impfstoffangebot und reduziere so auch die Gefahr von Mutationen. Die anderen sind sich sicher: Der Schutz von geistigem Eigentum sei wichtig, sodass private Investoren auch in Zukunft in Vorleistung von Medikamentenentwicklung gehen. Außerdem nutze eine Patentfreigabe nichts, wenn für die Impfstoffherstellung Fachkräfte und sichere Anlagen fehlten.

13 Fragen mit den Gästen: Evein Obulor, Antidiskriminierungsbeauftragte; Stephan Exo-Kreischer, Direktor ONE Deutschland; Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz, Pharmazeut, Sprecher des House of Pharma and Healthcare; Bernhard Braune, Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, Impfallianz Gavi. Host Jo Schück versucht, die Kontrahenten aufeinander zu zu bewegen. Können sie sich auf die goldene Mitte einigen?

Hilfsorganisationen zeigen sich irritiert von Robert Habecks Äußerungen zur Aussetzung von Patenten von Covid-19-Impfstoffen. So könnten auch andere Länder Impfstoffe produzieren.

Patente für Corona-Impfstoffe aufheben, wie unter anderem US-Präsident Biden vorschlug, möchte die EU-Kommission nicht. Stattdessen sprach sie sich nun für Zwangslizenzen aus.

Amnesty International und 30 weitere Organisationen haben die EU aufgefordert, den Patentschutz für Corona-Impfstoffe vorerst auszusetzen. Das lehnt die EU-Kommission jedoch ab.

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13 Fragen: Müssen wir Corona-Impfpatente freigeben?

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Während Deutschland bereits Boosterimpfungen anbietet, kann es für Menschen in ärmeren Ländern mitunter noch Jahre dauern, bis sie geimpft werden. Schluss mit der künstlichen Verknappung, sagen die einen und fordern eine Freigabe der Impfpatente. Das sei eine Frage der globalen Gerechtigkeit, steigere das Impfstoffangebot und reduziere so auch die Gefahr von Mutationen.

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Sie (US Trade Representative) höre "laut und deutlich" die von einigen Gesetzgebern geäußerten Bedenken, dass ein Verzicht auf geistige Eigentumsrechte in der WTO China zugute kommen könnte, wies aber auch darauf hin, dass die Beendigung der Pandemie für die Sicherung des globalen Wirtschaftswachstums entscheidend sei.

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Sie (US Trade Representative) höre "laut und deutlich" die von einigen Gesetzgebern geäußerten Bedenken, dass ein Verzicht auf geistige Eigentumsrechte in der WTO China zugute kommen könnte, wies aber auch darauf hin, dass die Beendigung der Pandemie für die Sicherung des globalen Wirtschaftswachstums entscheidend sei.

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U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai speaks to members of the media following a tour of a silicon wafer plant being expanded by South Korean semiconductor manufacturer SK Siltron CSS, in Bay City, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2022. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

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WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - There has been no agreement on the terms of a COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property deal among four key World Trade Organization members, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said, amid growing questions about the effort's future.

Tai told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that "there has been no agreement" related to a proposed IP waiver text that was leaked to media earlier this month, as civil society groups urged President Joe Biden to reject the deal. read more

Tai called the text the "concept" of a compromise developed during discussions facilitated by WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala between the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa.

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Her spokesperson, Adam Hodge, said Washington was still consulting on the issue, but the compromise worked out during the informal WTO-led discussions "offers the most promising path toward achieving a concrete and meaningful outcome."

A text of the proposed compromise seen by Reuters earlier this month sought to waive IP rights to COVID-19 vaccines and supplies but it needed to be finalized and then presented to and accepted by the WTO's 164 member countries. read more

Tai's comments suggest that more work was needed to finalize the text amid some criticisms that the proposed compromise does not go far enough beyond a mandatory vaccine licensing regime.

She reassured members of the House Ways and Means Committee that the effort to increase vaccine access to developing countries aimed to preserve U.S. intellectual property rights. Biden first declared his support for an IP waiver for COVID-19 vaccines in May 2021, drawing sharp criticism from industry.

Asked about the issue during a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee, Tai said, "On your question of whether or not we are working to give away American IP, no, we are not."

She said she hears "loud and clear" the concerns voiced by some lawmakers that any waiver of IP rights at the WTO could benefit China, but also noted that ending the pandemic was critical to ensuring global economic growth.

In a letter, Doctors without Borders, Oxfam America, Amnesty International and other top civil society groups said the proposal would impose new conditions limiting the existing WTO rules that now allow countries to issue compulsory licenses for patented products.

"If adopted as-is, this text, while continuing to privilege Big Pharma monopolies and profits, would continue to deny access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to millions around the world," the groups wrote.

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Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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No agreement yet on WTO vaccine patent waiver compromise, U.S. says

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There has been no agreement on the terms of a COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property deal among four key World Trade Organization members, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said, amid growing questions about the effort’s future.

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PHARMA allg.: "Die Originalhersteller würden keinen Anreiz mehr haben, sich an einer schnellstmöglichen weltweiten Versorgung mit Impfstoffen zu beteiligen."

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PHARMA allg.: "Die Originalhersteller würden keinen Anreiz mehr haben, sich an einer schnellstmöglichen weltweiten Versorgung mit Impfstoffen zu beteiligen."

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Die forschenden Pharmaunternehmen haben in Rekordzeit Impfstoffe gegen COVID-19 entwickelt, sie zur Zulassung gebracht und deren Großproduktion aufgebaut. Dies war und ist eine Mammutaufgabe. Jetzt bauen sie die Produktion immer weiter aus und knüpfen ständig wachsende Produktionsnetzwerke.

Die Entwicklung der Impfstoffe beruht teilweise auf jahrzehntelanger Vorarbeit. Es waren vor allem private Geldgeber und Unternehmen, die dabei ins finanzielle Risiko gegangen sind, um wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse weiterzuentwickeln und neue Technologien zur Marktreife zu bringen. Sie taten dies mit der Aussicht, dass ihr geistiges Eigentum durch Patente geschützt wird und ihre Investitionen die Chance bekommen, sich zu amortisieren. Das Argument, "der Staat" hätte eigentlich alles finanziert, hält genau aus diesem Grund der Überprüfung nicht stand: Staatliche Gelder sind in größerem Umfang erst geflossen, als sich abzeichnete, dass die Impfstoffe wirken würden - und sollten die Produktion anschieben.

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Der Patentschutz für Medikamente ist wichtig | vfa

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Die forschenden Pharmaunternehmen haben in Rekordzeit Impfstoffe gegen COVID-19 entwickelt, sie zur Zulassung gebracht und deren Großproduktion aufgebaut. Dies war und ist eine Mammutaufgabe. Jetzt bauen sie die Produktion immer weiter aus und knüpfen ständig wachsende Produktionsnetzwerke. Die Entwicklung der Impfstoffe beruht teilweise auf jahrzehntelanger Vorarbeit.

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“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures."

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“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures."

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WASHINGTON - United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released a statement announcing the Biden-Harris Administration's support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines. We will actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) needed to make that happen. Those negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved.

"The Administration's aim is to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible. As our vaccine supply for the American people is secured, the Administration will continue to ramp up its efforts - working with the private sector and all possible partners - to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution. It will also work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines."

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Statement from Ambassador Katherine Tai on the Covid-19 Trips Waiver

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WASHINGTON - United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released a statement announcing the Biden-Harris Administration's support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. "This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures.

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The second Global COVID-19 Summit, co-hosted by United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia, and Senegal, convened over partners and organizations from around the world to accelerate collective efforts to get shots into arms, enhance access to tests and treatments, protect the health workforce, and finance and build health security for future pandemics and other health crises.

The Summit garnered new financial commitments totaling $3.2 billion, not yet announced, above and beyond pledges made to date in 2022.  This includes nearly $2.5 billion for COVID-19 and related response activities and $712 million in new commitments toward a new pandemic preparedness and global health security fund at the World Bank. (Note: This builds on $250 million previously pledged for this fund.) We encourage partners to join, as much more is needed to control COVID-19 and build better health security.

Commitments[1] from Government, Other Partners, and Entities

African Union: Will expand and continue its Saving Lives and Livelihoods Program to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for the African people, support the delivery of the vaccines, and support vaccination rollout programs at country level and increase vaccine manufacturing in Africa in partnership with Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation and other partners. Will also, through coordination by Africa CDC, strengthen public health institutions, increase local capacity for producing medical products, strengthen the health workforce, and establish action-oriented partnerships through its New Public Health Order Program.

Australia:  Pledged additional AUD $85 million in 2022 to COVAX and has delivered on the first half of its commitment made at the first Global COVID-19 Summit, to share 60 million vaccine doses by the end of 2022. Announced a AUD 375 million second phase for the Health Security Initiative for the Indo-Pacific region as well as committed AUD 100 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Austria: In 2022, committed to provide EUR 1.6 million annually to CEPI from 2022-2024 for a total of EUR 4.8 million. Delivering up to 14 million vaccine doses by mid-2022.  Committed to remain active in donating vaccines and providing financial support and emergency assistance.

Belgium: Will provide an additional EUR 15 million for COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including EUR 10 million for the ancillary costs needed for vaccine delivery and EUR 5 million for COVAX.

Belize: Will accelerate efforts to vaccinate 70% of the population by September 2022 and promote boosters for at risk populations. Will support an extensive public education campaign to overcome vaccine hesitancy. Will construct a BZE1 6.8 million hospital to better serve community health needs and to expand and provide an additional BZE 3.2 million to the National Health Insurance Program.

Brazil: The Government of Brazil reaffirmed its commitment to donate up to $86.7 million to COVAX AMC, and it has already donated 5.6 million doses.  It further underscored its success in vaccinating more than 77 percent of the Brazilian population against COVID and supplementing its national health system with an extra $20 billion

Belize: Will accelerate efforts to vaccinate 70% of the population by September 2022 and promote boosters for at risk populations. Will support an extensive public education campaign to overcome vaccine hesitancy. Will construct a $16.8 million hospital to better serve community health needs and to expand and provide an additional BZE 3.2 million to the National Health Insurance Program.

Botswana: Commits to vaccinate at least 80 percent of its population according to the Country’s National Vaccine Deployment plan, implementing the second stage of Phase 4 (5–12-year-olds) by mid-2022 pending successful consultation. Commits to sharing lessons learned on its success with other countries to help them reach Botswana’s levels of vaccination success , the third highest vaccination rate in Africa.  Will continue to focus on improving and accelerating vaccine uptake and coverage. Commits to setting policy to offer and avail free treatment to all people who are infected with COVID-19, have mild to moderate as well as severe illness, or are at risk for death due to risk factors, with treatment modalities are based on Botswana’s updated treatment guidelines. Commits to manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines to improve local and regional equitable vaccines supply chain by the end of 2022, drawing lessons from the global demand-supply mismatch and non-equitable distribution of vaccines.

Canada: Will provide CAD 732 million  in funding for the Access to COVID-19 Tools-Accelerator (ACT-A), enabling Canada to meet its fair share for the 2021-2022 ACT-A budget cycle, assessed at CAD 747 million. This funding includes a previous allocation of CAD 220 million  to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), announced by the Prime Minister on April 8, 2022 at the Gavi COVAX AMC Summit, and builds on the CAD 15 million announced by the Prime Minister on October 30, 2021, in support of COVAX Manufacturing Task Force partners.  Canada is contributing to the international pandemic response and will continue to work with partners to ensure that we strengthen our collective ability to prevent, prepare and respond to disease outbreaks going forward.

Colombia: Will continue to vaccinate the nearly 2 million Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and other vulnerable populations. Will share lessons learned on linking joint efforts with the private sector. Will provide technical assistance for mass vaccination campaigns, to improve supply chain logistics, and for surveillance of possible adverse events related to vaccination. Will also contribute to the discussions within the WHO on ways to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics.  Will make efforts to increase the number of migrants registered in the social security system from 400,000 to 700,000 in 2022.

Côte D’Ivoire: Will increase vaccine demand creation and uptake, and accelerate vaccine coverage while immediately prioritizing fully vaccinating and providing boosters to key sub-populations such as teachers, healthcare workers, people with comorbidities, and adolescents. Will strengthen genomic sequencing to identify new variants. Will expand and sustain health system capacity and financing; increase domestic health budgets; and improve funds disbursement to enable timely salary, incentive, and other supportive payments for health care workers. Committed to continue promoting the One Health approach and strengthening the national One Health platform.

Denmark: Will provide over USD 10 million for vaccine rollout via ACT-A (COVAX).  Minister Møller Mortensen expressed support for strengthening WHO and  support for WHO agreement on pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response.

European Union: The European Union budget will provide 300 million euro for vaccination support. Will provide 100 million euro for other ACT-A pillars.  Will provide $450 million USD for the pandemic preparedness and global health security financial intermediary fund at the World Bank.

France: Will provide EUR 220 M to ACT-A : 100 million euros to COVAX, 50 million euros to WHO, and 70 million euros to strengthen vaccine production capacity in developing countries, including Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa.

Georgia: According to the National Vaccine Deployment Plan, intends to vaccinate at least 65% of population by mid-2022.  Will use the Financial Incentives scheme to continue to motivate citizens over 50 years old. Pediatric doses of Covid-19 vaccine will be made available for 5-12 year old kids  In order to provide access to novel drugs, will continue to procure antivirals the treatment of mild Covid-19 patients with the high risk of hospitalization in March 2022.  Has extended its COVID-19 vaccination and treatment program for all Ukrainian citizens who entered the country after the war crisis.  Is implementing an active information and communication campaign with support from USAID, WHO, European Commission and other international partners.  Commits to a full program accelerating vaccine coverage while immediately prioritizing fully vaccinating and providing boosters to at-risk populations, accelerating vaccine coverage for vulnerable populations, saving lives with access to tests and treatments, supporting health and frontline workers, and expanding and sustaining health capacity and financing including support for the establishment of a global health security and pandemic preparedness fund.

Germany: Will contribute EUR 50 million toward the establishment of a new global health security and pandemic preparedness fund housed at the World Bank. Committed EUR 1.1 billion to ACT-A’s 2021/2022 replenishment cycle earlier in 2022 and an additional EUR 224 million for bilateral projects to help increase vaccine uptake. Part of Germany’s overall contribution are EUR 850 million targeted support for vaccine logistics and strengthening of absorption capacities, especially in African countries (“LastMile Initiative”) bilaterally and multilaterally through ACT-A.  All contributions are subject to parliamentary approval.

India: Will continue to extend boosters coverage to eligible populations and expand vaccinations to those under age 18, and continue working towards complete vaccination coverage for India’s adult population. With the increased funding allocated for the 2022-2023 domestic health budget, will provide insurance coverage for healthcare workers, increase the number of health and wellness centers. Will increase the number of integrated public health and regional disease control laboratories, as well as bio-safety labs. Is increasing zoonotic surveillance, and will continue to supply vaccines and work on extending a SARS -CoV2 genomic consortium to neighboring countries.

Indonesia: Will provide $5 million to CEPI for the period of 2022-2026, adding to the $1 million contribution made in 2020.  Will continue accelerating vaccination efforts to achieve the WHO vaccination goal of the 70% population, including for the 189 million people of Indonesia by June 2022, while ensuring equitable access to vaccines across income and age groups, and those most at risk. Earmarked Rp122,54 trillion of the 2022 national budget to continue vaccination efforts, care for COVID-19 patients, provide health worker and tax incentives, and support local governments.  As Co-Chair of COVAX AMC EG, commits to contribute to the global effort to ensure equitable access to vaccines and getting shots in arms, and to increase local and regional vaccine production capacity and research capability, including for vaccines beyond COVID-19 pandemic, including through the use of WHO mRNA technology hubs. In the framework of ACT-A, will continue to accelerate global equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and PPE through its roles as Co-Chair of the Tracking and Accelerating Progress Working Group and as Member of the Facilitation Council, the Financial and Resource Mobilization Working Group, and the Vaccine Manufacturing Working Group.  As G20 President, supports the establishment of a new financing facility to ensure adequate and sustained financing for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with a central coordinating role of the WHO, and supported by the World Bank and in close cooperation with international partners.  Commits to strengthen the central role of WHO in coordinating global health actions through leadership in the Working Group on Strengthening WHO Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies together with the United States.  Through multilateral cooperation , seeks political and financial support for developing countries, including as Co-Host of COVAX AMC Summit and Second Global COVID-19 Summit, and ACT-A diplomatic outreach with likeminded partners.

Italy: Will donate an additional 31 million doses through COVAX and pledge 200 million euros via the ACT-Accelerator and in order to strengthen global preparedness.

Japan: Will contribute up to $500 million to COVAX and expand the scope of the Last One Mile Support of additional $30 million US dollars to 17 new Latin American and the Caribbean and African countries. Pledges to contribute $300 million to CEPI. Will provide assistance of up to $200 million USD through JICA to enhance local production capacity for pharmaceutical and medical products including vaccines in Africa. Total contributions increase from $3.9 billion USD announced at the first Summit to $5 billion USD.

Liechtenstein: Provided CHF 300,000 to COVAX in 2022.

Nepal: Will accelerate vaccine coverage and immediately prioritize fully vaccinating and providing boosters to at-risk populations. Will provide a detailed plan and targets at the national and sub-national level for getting shots into arms and overcoming key barriers for at-risk populations, and will track and report on full vaccination and booster rates by key subgroups. Will designate a “high-level leader” to coordinate with donors, multinational development banks, and the COVID-19 vaccine delivery partnership.  Will also develop a national and community level strategy to expand access to testing and prompt treatment, focusing on those at highest risk and integrating COVID-19 testing /treatment with existing health systems, and will update relevant testing and treatment guidelines. Will improve and expand community access to testing and treatments and pharmacovigilance programs. Will support health and frontline workers by providing PPE and water, sanitation, and hygiene access, and training.

New Zealand: Will provide NZD 2.25 million to UNICEF to fund COVID-19 diagnostics in Vietnam and to maintain essential health services in the Philippines, and NZD 8 million to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism for lifesaving tests, treatments and personal protective equipment. Will continue its support in the Pacific region to enable access to and uptake of vaccines within comprehensive public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as continuing its support for health security and health systems strengthening.

Nigeria: Will support vaccination efforts for 112 million citizens above age 18 towards a vaccination goal of 70% of the population being vaccinated by December 2022. Will expand access to COVID 19 testing and treatment, focusing on those at highest risk, and will integrate testing/treatment into existing health systems while prioritizing COVID-19 for monthly reporting on the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Reporting system platform. Will train an additional 10,000 frontline healthcare workers by December 2022 on basic infection prevention and control measures, ensuring availability of oxygen, and eliminate stock-outs of PPE. Will strengthen laboratory capacity for genomic sequencing and specimen bio-banking for both diagnostics and surveillance activities, and will implement a national bio-bank policy. Will designate highest-level leadership to coordinate relevant government sectors to achieve these goals, in collaboration with the international community and its development partners, and will progressively increase domestic health budgets. Will promote businesses in Nigeria to integrate health security into organizational policies and business goals.

Norway: Provided USD 222 million to the 2021/2022 budget cycle of ACT- A. Supports establishing a global health security and pandemic preparedness fund housed at the World Bank.

Pakistan: Will accelerate vaccine coverage from 82 percent to 90 percent and provide boosters to eligible and at-risk populations, including school-aged children eligible for vaccines (age 12-18), by summer 2022. Plans to launch a second iteration of its robust national vaccination campaign in late May, striving to vaccinate hard-to-reach populations.

Palau: Will maintain a proactive and robust response to the ongoing pandemic, maintain and enhance existing services and plans including non-COVID essential services, and will strengthen social protection programs for the vulnerable and affected population.

Philippines: The Philippine government committed to measures to boost efforts for expanding health care capacity that adheres to global standards, to adopt systematic approaches for effectively implementing emergency programs, and to develop a Comprehensive Pandemic Response Framework that will safeguard the country from future pandemics.

Republic of Korea: Will provide $300 million USD for ACT-A over 3 years, from 2023-2025. This builds on the $212 million USD committed to ACT-Accelerator since its launch. Support developing countries move toward vaccine self-sufficiency by establishing WHO Global Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Hub. Express political support for the pandemic preparedness and global health security fund at the World Bank.

Rwanda: Will vaccinate five- to eleven-year-old children with at least one dose by the end of 2022 and will vaccinate at least seventy percent of the total population with the primary series (two shots) by June 2022. Will double booster coverage from thirty percent to sixty percent of those eligible, and will continue to expand the Government of Rwanda’s capacity to locally manufacture vaccine.

Saudi Arabia: Provided $2.8 million to the WHO in 2022 to provide logistical support for vaccine delivery in order to vaccinate ten percent of Yemenis.

Senegal: Commits, with Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), to facilitating the new $200 million Madiba (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy ) biotechnology platform, which will include production of vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases.  In support of the project, Senegal has mobilized financing of $91 million, including an EIB loan of $79 million, and has made a 3.3 Hectares site available.  The project also benefits from grants from IFC, DFC, EIB, EU, and AFD, amounting to $14 million.

Spain: Will provide EUR 100 million to support new COVID-19-related bilateral projects. Will provide USD 200 million for the purchase of 30 million vaccines for donation through COVAX and bilaterally, as needs dictate. When combined with previous donations, Spain will have pledged to donate up to 100 million vaccines, remaining as one of the largest vaccine donor worldwide.

South Africa: South Africa is committed to work with African leaders to achieve vaccine coverage through mass campaigns across the continent.  We continue to advocate for a TRIPS waiver in the WTO to improve global access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.  Committed to getting more life-saving vaccines to those in need, South Africa is donating 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 10 million doses of the J&J vaccine to other African countries.  It has contributed $10 million to the Global Fund and plans to contribute financial support to the ACT-Accelerator.  As an AU Champion will work towards a goal of 200 million tests administered by the end of 2022 by resourcing and supporting member states to implement Africa CDC’s Enhanced Surveillance Strategy, which includes community-based testing, wastewater testing, and sentinel surveillance.  In the same capacity,  we tabled at the AU Summit in February and got an endorsement for a common agenda for manufacturing vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and health products on the continent.  The continent’s largest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant opened in South Africa last year, and mRNA hubs for tech transfer have been opened in South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, Kenya and Nigeria.  Multilateral agencies and philanthropists need to be procured vaccines and boosters from African manufacturers to ensure the developing capabilities of the continent are retained. Finally, South Africa supports the formation of the Fund as a mechanism to finance global health security.

Sweden: Committed its health experts to help improve international global health architecture and help advance policies on improved pandemic preparedness.  Donated 10 million vaccine doses to COVAX.

Taiwan:  Pledges an additional contribution of $1.5 million to support the fight against COVID.  Will continue to provide PPE and medical equipment to fight COVID worldwide, having contributed $70 million in this effort since April 2020.

Tanzania: Will vaccinate 70% of eligible Tanzanians by fall 2022.

Thailand: Will donate over 3.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, worth $14.5 million, in 2022. Will continue investing in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and cooperate with global partners on vaccine testing, research and development, and production. Will continue working actively on disease prevention and health emergency preparedness in neighboring countries to better address particularly communicable and emerging diseases. Supports in principle the initiative to establish the pandemic preparedness and global health security fund at the World Bank.

United Arab Emirates: Will provide $10 million in financial contributions for the ACT-Accelerator and $50 million in-kind assistance of equipment.

United Kingdom: Since December, has committed £265 million [$327 million] to the global response to COVID-19 as part of the commitment to ending the acute phase of the pandemic in vulnerable countries and future pandemic preparedness, including £105 million to expand testing capacity globally and boost oxygen supplies, and £160m as part of the UK-hosted Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit to support CEPI to reduce the time to develop vaccines against new health threats – including new COVID variants – to just 100 days. The UK has spent over £2.1 billion since 2020 to help end the pandemic, address its social and economic impacts and to support global efforts to fund, and distribute vaccines fairly.

United States: Committed an additional $200 million to the pandemic preparedness and global health security financial fund at the World Bank in 2022, bringing the U.S. total pledge to this fund to $450 million to date.  In FY 2023, the President’s Budget calls for an additional $4.75 billion for this fund. Committed to share U.S. Government COVID-19 vaccine-related intellectual property and research tools for greater global access.  Committed to rapid review of generic products for global COVID-19 response. Committed to pilot “test and treat” strategies for the most vulnerable populations in low and middle-income countries to help prevent hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.  Committed to additional vaccination support through Global VAX.  Committed to expand investments in bilateral global health security programs.  Committed to expand dose donations to include boosters and pediatric doses to accelerate global vaccine coverage.  Committed to improving guidance for vaccine development to enhance protection. These commitments build on previous commitments announced in 2022, including support for a financing facility for COVID-19 vaccine purchases and delivery through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and advancing COVID-19 vaccine research and development through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Commitments[2] from Non-Governmental Organizations, Private Sector, Philanthropies

In addition, we have received commitments from more than 50 organizations, including local and international non-governmental organizations, businesses, philanthropies, advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, and other members of civil society.  To date, new commitments in 2022 outlined below exceed $700 million for vaccinating the world, saving lives now, and building better health security.

Abbott: Abbott will make available to low and middle income countries (LMICs) a dedicated portion of its global manufacturing capacity for WHO EUL-approved antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs), amounting to a minimum of 20 million tests per month and a total of 240 million tests for an entire year, a commitment that amounts to nearly a quarter of the global goal of ensuring access to 1 billion tests in 2022 announced in September.

Abt Associates:  Commits to convening a global coalition to identify health system innovations that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic that can be adapted and scaled to transform future health systems and Build Better Health Security. As a trusted partner of the governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, Abt Associates developed tools and innovations in our work and will share them broadly. We invite other countries and partners to engage in this collaboration.

Access to Advanced Health Institute and Immunity Bio:  commit to manufacturing next-generation T-Cell vaccines for pandemic preparedness that are stable at room temperature, rapidly modifiable to address current and emergent pathogens, and provide potent, broad and durable protection in sub-Saharan Africa at the billion dose scale by 2025.  Commit to bringing the latest immune-stimulating cell therapy and vaccine technology through clinical trials and centers of excellence to develop licensed vaccines and breakthrough immunotherapies that address the pandemics of infectious disease and cancer around the Globe.  Committed to expend $1 billion USD over the next 5 years to produce billions of doses of vaccines, fusion proteins, and natural killer cell therapy at our million square feet of 11 plants we currently own globally.

Africa Frontline First (AFF): Commits to raising $15M by September 2022 in the first phase of its work to build better health security. AFF is a collaborative new financing initiative led by Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to professionalize 200,000 community health workers across 10 African countries by 2030. This workforce will expand critical surveillance, testing, and treatment for emerging disease threats, maintain life-saving care during emergencies, and provide quality jobs, particularly for women.

Amref Health Africa, HQ: Commits to increase access to and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in thirty-one countries in Africa. The activities will be led across 11 projects with multiple partners to support the administration of over 4.5 million vaccine doses across 31 countries in East and Southern Africa, training over 15,000 community health workers, and facilitating access to vaccines in hard-to-reach areas. To ensure delivery of this commitment, $46,117,000 has been secured to date.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Commits up to $125 million to Build Better Health Security through vaccine research and development, enhanced integrated disease surveillance, workforce capacity development, and expanded access to pandemic tools in low- and middle-income countries. These new investments, which are an extension of the foundation’s longstanding commitment to health equity, are aimed at ending this pandemic and ensuring the world is prepared to prevent another pandemic.

BlackRock Foundation: Commits $5 million to ensure immediate, equitable access to Covid-19 diagnostic tools across the world, in partnership with FIND – the global alliance for diagnostics – to keep people safe, halt new variants in their tracks and address urgent clinical needs. BlackRock will support FIND to deliver on the goal of increasing the number of daily Covid-19 tests taken in low-income countries from 7.3 per 100,000 individuals to 100 per 100,000 by the end of 2022.

Catholic Relief Services – US Conference of Catholic Bishops (CRS): Commits to work with its in-country teams to increase vaccine coverage and uptake, directly supporting COVID-19 vaccinations in 22 countries and mobilizing at-risk populations in over 100 countries. CRS will engage local stakeholders to facilitate collaboration and connect local partners with donors to advance localized funding. CRS will mobilize American Catholics to advocate for an equitable global response and will engage with peer organizations through the INGO COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative.  Commits to leveraging its network of over 1500 partners to communicate essential information to reduce COVID-19 transmission, illness and death. CRS will serve as the Global Fund C19RM lead in Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone, leading on procurement for tests and other commodities. CRS will address the secondary impacts of COVID-19, such as education disruption, the loss of primary caregivers, fraying social cohesion, and increasing hunger and malnutrition.  Commits to using its available resources to identify, finance, and fill gaps in health systems in the countries in which it operates. CRS will continue implementing activities to address vaccine hesitancy, conducting primary research to inform vaccine strategies, supporting faith-based organizations, and financing critical health workforce trainings. Further, CRS will continue to work with Ministries of Health and other health service providers to strengthen the capacity of resilient health systems.

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI):  Commits to ensuring affordable and effective antiviral COVID-19 treatment is available in low- and middle-income countries. CHAI has negotiated agreements with generic suppliers to make generic Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir – NIR/r) available at under $25 USD per treatment course for treatment of COVID-19. Equitable access to oral antiviral medications, especially for high-risk populations, will help save lives and limit the impact of future surges.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI): Commits to helping fill the gaps in vaccine research and development that threaten to undermine progress against COVID-19, working in partnership with institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Such research, including clinical trials on “mix-and-match” and fractional dosing, will help to inform COVID-19 vaccination strategies globally. Commits to funding the development of broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines and working to enable equitable access to these globally.  Will work to reduce global pandemic risk by delivering innovative R&D programs that help to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines in 100 days. This includes advancing vaccines against known threats; producing a library of prototype vaccines against critical viral families; investing in vaccine manufacturing innovations; advancing enabling science programs critical to rapid vaccine development; and connecting stakeholders to enable rapid countermeasure development, effective response and equitable access.

CORE Group: Will work with country partners to provide training on addressing vaccine misinformation through social behavioral change norms and provide evidence-based communication training and tools to increase demand and uptake for COVID-19 vaccine. CORE Group will conduct knowledge sharing events and sessions at the regional and global levels, to share innovative ideas of addressing vaccine hesitancy, share tested and translated resources, and convene civil society to improve COVID19 vaccine uptake.  Will convene global stakeholders to ensure implementation strategies around health security with a One Health approach and advocate for greater representation of civil society, including people with disabilities, women and children, and under-served communities, to be included in the planning and discussions around their own health security. We commit ensuring evidence-based technical direction and collaboration around Covid-19, global health security, through an integrated multi-sectoral approach, at our October 2022 Global Health Practitioner Conference.

COVAX: Will continue to help close the equity gap by supplying COVID-19 vaccines and working with partners to help lower-income countries turn vaccines into vaccinations and strengthen health systems. COVAX is mobilizing funds to support AMC country readiness and delivery, roll out donated doses and launching the Pandemic Vaccine Pool as a contingent financial mechanism so we can respond rapidly to new pandemic risks and bolster regional manufacturing.

COVID Collaborative: COVID-19 has now left a staggering 10.4 million children worldwide orphaned by the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver. Many of these children face abuse, violence, and institutionalization. That is why COVID Collaborative, in collaboration with Oxford University, and with support from The New York Life Foundation, commits to advocate for and catalyze country-level policies to incorporate family-based care for COVID-bereaved children into national COVID-19 response plans, focusing on high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte): Commits up to US $3 million to make publicly available a playbook that outlines processes and protocols that enable society to provide and scale health-care support and resources, thereby helping to address COVID-19 variants and surges, in support of the goal to Build Better Health Security

FIND: Commits to enhancing efforts for timely testing, including self-testing, in vulnerable groups, providing vital information to assess transmission in diverse populations and formulate strategies to prioritize those most at risk. These efforts will also help focus testing and treatment strategies. Commits to supporting LMIC governments in the development and roll-out of scaled up testing and test-and-treat programmes, focused on vulnerable populations and equitable global access, as well as maintaining the data gathering and reporting systems that will allow global, regional and national decision-making based on the best possible information about the state of the pandemic.  Commits to identify and work with partners for the development and validation of multipathogen diagnosis and care pathways, which must include COVID-19. These new tools and diagnostic pathways will also be designed and tested to strengthen surveillance systems for both endemic and pandemic-prone pathogens, and link to the use of enhanced capacity for genomic sequencing.

Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria:  Commits to partner with other organizations to lead advocacy for new investments in pandemic preparedness that are grounded in human rights, integrated with health systems, and include multiple stakeholders.  The organization will help mobilize global advocacy to remind donors that the US is hosting the replenishment of the Global Fund, another effective tool in building health systems and preparing for the next pandemic alongside a new pandemic preparedness fund.

Family Health International (FHI) 360:  Commits to engaging in at least 20 LMICs with governments, local organizations, and communities to build their capacity to provide COVID-19 vaccine service delivery and generate demand for COVID-19 vaccines. FHI 360 commits to documenting and sharing innovative ideas and approaches to overcoming vaccine hesitancy globally.  Commits to converting technical tools and resources to global goods and taking proactive efforts to make these tools available to LMICs and promote their use for strengthening COVID-19 response programs. FHI 360 commits to enhance health workers’ capacity to deliver oxygen to patients in clinical settings and improve oxygen ecosystems in at least 25 LMICs, to promote equitable access to the highest quality clinical services possible.  Commits to support at least 15 LMICs to achieve their health security goals and achieving International Health Regulations (IHR) targets and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. FHI 360 commits to developing new tools and technologies to support these efforts.

Global Health Council (GHC): Commits to continued advocacy with U.S. congressional leaders to accelerate financing for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Global COVID-19 supplemental funding is urgently needed to support these national and sub-national campaigns to make progress toward the 70% target, prioritizing groups like frontline health workers, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. GHC will continue to bolster commitments amongst stakeholders within multilateral organizations and ensure these bodies are sustainably-resourced and well-equipped to address the world’s most pressing health needs.

Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC): Committed to amplify evidence of gaps in upstream vaccine research and development (R&D) for the COVID-19 response and work to ensure political support and additional resources to support R&D of next-generation vaccines designed to better reach the last mile and address emerging variants and for strengthening regional research and manufacturing capacities. This includes expanding multisector support for clinical research, strengthening regulatory pathways, and mobilizing sustainable financing for regional manufacturing hubs. Will hold public- and private-sector stakeholders accountable to unlocking funding and advancing research to expand the pipeline of affordable, easy-to-deploy diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly for use in low-resource settings.  Will galvanize partners to push for more efficient regulatory pathways for novel COVID-19 technologies; bolstered testing, surveillance, genomic sequencing, and data sharing to better detect and monitor emerging variants; and strengthened regional manufacturing capacities.  Supports the creation of a new pandemic preparedness fund and will leverage its network to highlight how the fund should be utilized to bolster country and regional pandemic research and development (R&D) capacities. GHTC is also supporting the Global Health Security Agenda R&D Task Force to develop a tool that enables countries to assess their R&D preparedness capabilities with the goal of aligning emerging financing with articulated R&D gaps.

Google.org: Donating an additional $150 million in Search ads to the World Health Organization, Gavi, government agencies, and nonprofits to ensure users searching on COVID-19 related topics such as vaccines, testing, or economic recovery initiatives are connected with credible sources. This brings Google.org’s total in-kind global commitment to COVID-19 recovery to over $1 billion.

HelpAge USA: Commits to promoting the dignity, wellbeing, and voice of older people. We are working with partners at global, regional, national, and local levels to develop and implement inclusive community engagement and advocacy strategies that effectively support COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake among older people and achieve global vaccine equity. Our organization’s goal aligns with the summit’s objective to vaccinate the world.

Henry Schein, Inc.: Henry Schein commits to working in partnership with the WHO to develop platforms for supply chain data collection to strengthen the resilience of the global healthcare supply chain.  This work represents an expansion of the Pandemic Supply Chain Network (PSCN), a public-private partnership founded in 2015. Henry Schein serves as private sector lead of the PSCN, with more than 60 companies participating together with the WHO and other multilaterals. Henry Schein is contributing its core competencies to support this effort, and a cash donation of $25,000.

The Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition 2 (Unilever and the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)(HBCC2): Will encourage vaccine uptake and combat vaccine hesitancy alongside continued hygiene messaging, using its hygiene and behaviour change platform to incorporate vaccine confidence messaging where vaccines are available. The coalition will reach millions through incorporating vaccine messages into public campaigns and programmes, and create digital tools that support people with information on COVID-19 vaccines, including where it is available and how to access it (where applicable).  Will help millions of people by supporting measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in 18 countries across Africa and Asia by provision of critical WASH products and services as hygiene remains the first line of defence against the virus until vaccines reach all. The coalition will provide communities with hygiene advice and training, products, and handwashing facilities in institutions such as schools, health centres and public places.  Will work with national governments and institutions to strengthen local capacity and build resilience of health systems and communities against new COVID-19 variants and future pandemics. The hygiene vulnerabilities and inequalities the pandemic has exposed must be eradicated if we are to defeat the virus and improve health security for all. HBCC2 will advocate for increased investment in hygiene and pandemic preparedness at national and global level.

International Rescue Committee (IRC): Commits to extending the capacity of governments to deliver Covid-19 vaccines in humanitarian settings as soon as delivery funds and doses become available to us. Based on our current infrastructure and capacity, we can deliver 32 million doses, fully vaccinating 16 million people. With $160 million dollars and sufficient doses, we could reach nearly all eligible people in the fragile and conflict affected settings where we work across 30 countries.

IPG Health/McCANN HEALTH: Committed to working with countries to develop more effective ways to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Living Goods: Commits to supporting community health workers (CHWs) to ensure high levels of uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and to combat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Living Goods commits to supporting government operations for widespread COVID-19 vaccine rollout to the individuals in the rural communities served by Living Goods-supported CHWs. Finally, Living Goods commits to encouraging uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among frontline health workers and other high-risk populations.  Commits to working in partnership with governments to train all staff and community health workers (CHWs) we support in COVID-19 prevention, early case detection, reporting procedures, and personal safety measures. Living Goods commits to supporting CHWs to educate communities on prevention, testing and where to receive care. Living Goods commits to using digital tools to support CHWs to conduct COVID-19 case screenings and connect CHWs with disease surveillance networks.  Commits to partnerships with the governments of Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and others to build resilient community health systems that can withstand shocks. This includes supporting governments to strengthen digital tools that enable the delivery of health services and ensure pandemic preparedness. Over the next five years, Living Goods commits to supporting 32,000 CHWs and their supervisors to reach 18 million people across five countries with quality care.

Management Sciences for Health: Is costing vaccine delivery to the last mile so that countries, multilateral institutions, and donors can prepare to effectively deliver critical COVID-19 vaccines and achieve the goal of vaccinating the world. This work will help countries better allocate financial resources through evidence-based and sustainable strategies. To date, the organization has supported the vaccination of almost 17 million people across several countries. Management Sciences for Health is committed to Saving Lives Now by continuing to provide access to critical health services, medicines, and other therapeutics across countries, including in fragile and conflict-affected states. The organization continues to focus on strengthening pharmaceutical-sector governance, national public health institutions, regulatory and information systems, infection prevention and control measures, response coordination mechanisms, and emergency supply chains for COVID-19 commodities across governments, the private sector and civil society. Management Sciences for Health is announcing new investments in learning critical lessons from the COVID-19 response by convening a global workshop to examine critical gaps in health security and develop impactful, responsive, and essential recommendations for better pandemic preparedness. MSH is committed to working with country policymakers and government officials to ensure the necessary national policies are in place so that countries are better prepared for future threats through a multihazards approach to pandemic preparedness.

MedAccess: Commits to provide a $100 million guarantee to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX cost-sharing mechanism. The guarantee is part of a $200 million risk sharing facility, with the Open Society Foundations, that will help COVAX respond to country demand for additional doses to meet national vaccination targets.

Mastercard Foundation: Mastercard Foundation is deploying USD $200 million in partnership with a collaborative of seven African higher education institutions to strengthen the resilience of public health systems in Africa and enabling them to contribute to economic development, and prosperity. To do so, this initiative will train 30,000 front-line health providers and policy shapers and is projected to create 20,000 health sectors jobs; and to enable 2,000 health ventures to improve and expand primary health services and products in the next 10 years.

Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck):  Committed to make two million patient courses of its investigational oral antiviral COVID-19 medicine, LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir), available to USAID at Merck’s best access price to increase access in lower-income countries.  This builds on previous efforts, including an agreement with UNICEF to supply up to 3 million courses of LAGEVRIO and voluntary licenses to generic manufacturers and the Medicines Patent Pool facilitating access in over 100 low and middle income countries.  Committed to provide $5 million annually in 2022-2024 to support efforts to understand how to build vaccine confidence and reach underserved populations through use of social media.  This builds on Merck’s earlier funding to help establish The Vaccine Confidence Fund to support research exploring how online communications can influence offline health behavior and build vaccination confidence, and its related announcement with multi-sector stakeholders of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online.

Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): Commits to support the Financial Intermediary Fund by using the Global Health Security Index as a tool to inform pandemic preparedness needs—so resources can be allocated to countries most in need and to address the most significant gaps. NTI also commits to contribute $35,000 to the Fund once established—reflecting our view that catalytic funding is needed to guard against current and future biological threats.

Nursing Now Challenge: Commits to engaging its network to build advocacy skillsets for early-career nurses and midwives to deepen their storytelling skills and to launch local, regional and global efforts to vaccinate the world. The NNC network of immunization advocacy champions will be led by early-career nurses and midwives. They will lead their own vaccine advocacy campaigns and will deliver their voices to at least three global policy forums and quarterly online events.

Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundation’s impact investment arm, the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF), commits to provide a $100 million procurement guarantee designed to strengthen COVAX’s capacity to increase the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. Together with an additional $100m guarantee from MedAccess, the guarantees would free up an additional $200m in donor funds, and position COVAX to deploy an additional 190 million vaccine dosages to low- and middle-income countries globally in 2022.

Osprey Foundation: Committing $4,000,000 to faith-based organizations that can positively influence COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake in sub-Saharan Africa. Commits to increase vaccine demand in several sub-Saharan African countries by supporting faith leaders and their networks to overcome disinformation and address the root causes of vaccine hesitancy for their communities in both digital and non-digital realms. Concurrently, Osprey Foundation will fund faith-based interventions to improve the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines by strengthening the core of last-mile vaccine infrastructure, improving vaccine readiness, and supporting effective vaccine rollout initiatives.

Pandemic Action Network: Commits to press governments, multilateral agencies, and donors to galvanize the necessary investments, coordination, and incentives to support delivery of accelerated, robust, and equitable global vaccination plans to achieve equitable global immunization levels. In support of this and all Summit goals, Pandemic Action Network commits to mobilize at least 100 new partners, and Network partners commit to invest at least US$175 million by the end of 2022.  Commits to support efforts to drive forward a dynamic global test-to-treat strategy, increase transparency on pricing and supply of tools to fight COVID-19, and advocate to prioritize access to testing, timely reporting, and treatments. The Network also commits to and to create a steady drumbeat of advocacy, coordination, and civic engagement and hold partners accountable for their commitments.  In 2022, commits to work with the World Bank, WHO, governments, and other stakeholders to design and launch a dedicated new global fund for pandemic preparedness; mobilize significant new political and financial commitments for the fund; promote cross-country, cross-regional cooperation, and sharing best practices and lessons learned to inform more effective and equitable preparedness and response plans and implementation, to be ready either for the next COVID surge or next potential pandemic.

PATH: Commits to supporting COVID vaccination campaigns by providing training, mentorship and supervision to health workers tasked with vaccination and to deploying and scaling digital tools to track vaccination and generate demand through targeted social media campaigns. This includes a $5 million investment to reach an estimated 20 million vaccine-hesitant individuals in two years. Additionally, PATH will support the development of a new affordable COVID-19 vaccine that could be manufactured in Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam.  Commits to working with stakeholders to improve oxygen delivery in 10 countries. PATH will work with local partners to build their diagnostics capacities and support the advancement of more affordable and reliable COVID diagnostics in LMICs. PATH will stand up interoperable digital systems in four countries to provide the country governments with the information they need to identify and manage outbreaks vaccination coverage, manage vaccine supplies, and track vaccination records. Commits to leveraging our technical expertise to equip world leaders with the information they need to design a better architecture for global health security. PATH commits to advocating for the funding needed to establish the new global health security and pandemic preparedness fund and holding leaders accountable for other commitments made during the 2nd COVID-19 Summit.

PAX sapiens: Will work with engaged civil society, philanthropic, government, and private sector actors to identify and promote sustainable funding sources for pandemic prevention, new approaches to information sharing, institutional design, and standards for data collection and sharing, and to encourage new donors to support pandemic prevention. PAX’s work will include grantmaking through the previously announced commitment of $200 million, convening and engagement with other organizations, and developing new information for effective prevention.

PerkinElmer: Commits to saving lives now by making COVID-19 tests available to all low- and middle-income countries for under $5 per test based on volume commitment and supply chain feasibility.  PerkinElmer knows that detecting COVID-19 is still a public health challenge in many places and believes this will enable critical access to diagnostics.  PerkinElmer remains dedicated to continuing to develop accessible diagnostic solutions to address the global public health challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pfizer Inc.: Will work to solve concrete challenges to vaccine distribution: working with partners, including UPS, to enable extended use of its shippers to deliver 9.3 million doses to regional vaccination centers in 36 states in Nigeria; expanding its partnership with drone delivery service Zipline to enable transportation of more 380,000 mRNA vaccines on 1,485 drone flights to remote areas; and completing studies to support the extension of transportation time to 48 hours at 2-8 degrees.  Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral treatment could significantly change the COVID-19 treatment paradigm, potentially reducing illness severity, hospitalization rates and deaths among a broad population of patients, subject to regulatory authorization or approval. Working with partners such as UNICEF, Pfizer will supply nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets to countries in need, including emerging economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This agreement is part of Pfizer’s comprehensive strategy to work toward worldwide equitable access.

Platform for ACT-A Civil Society & Community Representatives (co-hosted by WACI Health, Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN) and STOPAIDS): Will advocate for support of the TRIPS waiver and sharing of vaccine equipment and doses with COVAX and countries.  Will advocate for and coordinate community CSO input on a test and treat strategy.  Will mobilise support to fully fund ACT-A, advocating for robust health system perspectives, supporting greater community representation in ACT-A and future mechanisms.

Private Sector Roundtable on Global Health Security (PSRT): The Private Sector Roundtable on Global Health Security (PSRT) – a cross-industry coalition of companies committed to leveraging private sector expertise to strengthen health security – commits to expand efforts to build regional/country capacity in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. We will seek to partner with a regional institution and three low-middle-income countries in that region to provide a suite of tools, trainings and expert guidance over the next three years to Build Better Health Security.

Rotary International: Commits to providing access to our public health infrastructure and network built to facilitate polio eradication and provide free health services to vaccinate the world.  Rotary Family Health Days and National Immunization Day campaigns are available to accelerate vaccine coverage in multiple regions with at-risk populations in high-risk countries.  With Rotary’s 1.4 million members worldwide, and over 55,000 African members, our health infrastructure, and relationships with local and national government health departments remain active. Rotary can quickly mobilize, as strategy, structure, accountability, and funding become available.

The Rockefeller Foundation: The Rockefeller Foundation’s Global Vaccination Initiative commits USD 55 million to support country-led efforts to fully vaccinate 90% of the most at-risk populations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Funding will support programs to increase vaccine demand – access, trust, and information – while leveraging data from trusted, credible sources to strengthen health systems to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.

Sabin Vaccine Institute:  Commits $9 million through its Global Immunization program in 2022 to better understand and address vaccine delivery, acceptance and demand barriers in LMICs; bolster collaboration among immunization professionals; foster action to address barriers in universal vaccination development; and better apply epidemiology to maximize vaccine rollout effectiveness. Sabin commits to fostering the action of 3,000+ close-to-community professionals delivering vaccinations in LMICs – including health workers, program managers, researchers and journalists.

Seed Global Health:  Research estimates that for every $1 allocated to vaccine production, $5 is needed for delivery, with majority cost being associated with health worker training, support, and protection. Establishing integrated health worker networks from the last mile to the facility is critical to enabling access to vaccinations. .  Seed Global Health commits to partnering with governments to train and deploy the health workers required to put shots in arms while supporting counter-misinformation campaigns to reduce vaccine hesitancy.  Health workers deliver every element of pandemic response and preparedness. Commits to scale our direct work in training and care to sustain essential services to an additional 3 million people; to protect education to strengthen the pipeline of health workers; to respond to emergencies on the frontlines, modeling new methodologies of diagnosis and care; and to align and mobilize the political commitment and resources to support health workers and save more lives. Health workers are the backbone of resilient health systems and pathway to economic recovery and global health security.  Commits to mobilize a social contract for health workers, to galvanize action beyond applause. Centered on core principles that provide the evidence-based rationale, framework and accountability, this compact will mobilize and align investments, policies, and programming around long- term country-led planning, to scale-up and protect fit-for-purpose health workforces in service to the world.

The Task Force for Global Health: Will partner with countries to strengthen immunization programs and field epidemiology training. Through Hepatitis, Polio and Neglected Tropical Diseases programs, we’ll support COVID-19 efforts for the most vulnerable. We’ll distribute medical supplies/equipment and support public health worker mental health and resilience. We’ll convene thought leaders to envision building upon COVID-related investments for sustainable systems. We’ll advance the scientific understanding of rare adverse events after COVID-19 vaccinations, advancing evidence-based decision-making.

Thermo Fisher Scientific: In partnership with Afrigen Biologics and Labotec, we are providing cutting-edge technology and personalized capacity building to enable production of the first locally designed and constructed COVID vaccine for Africa. Our support for this WHO-coordinated, end-to-end, sustainable mRNA vaccine production hub includes facility design and bacteria cultivation tools to support DNA plasmid creation, as well as investing in time and expertise to transfer technical knowledge and support so scientists and healthcare leaders can create their own future.  As part of our Mission to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, we have a responsibility to provide access to COVID-19 diagnostic solutions that reach every population, community and individual, regardless of geography or socioeconomic circumstance.  We will continue to provide low price, high-quality diagnostic solutions to Governments, United Nations and other global partners because testing is the cornerstone of a continuum of care and treatment of COVID-19 globally. We recognize the importance of building upon lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to collaborate with Governments, the United Nations and other global partners to create resilient systems to better prevent, detect and respond to the next emerging pathogen.  This includes helping to create federated, open pathogen surveillance systems, designing and funding knowledge transfer programs to enable the next generation of scientists in LMICs, and investing in local manufacturing models.

United Nations Foundation: The United Nations Foundation supports Building Better Health Security through encouraging high ambition, sustained attention, and diverse coalitions to strengthen multilateral capacities for preparedness and response. This includes convening and engaging partners to support Geneva-based processes; supporting solutions for incremental financing, including a Financial Intermediary Fund housed at the World Bank; and engaging Member States in New York and capitals to diversify and broaden a high ambition coalition for this agenda.

UPS Foundation: Commits to the pro-bono delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to countries below the average vaccination rate for Africa. In 2022, the UPS Foundation also plans to deliver 2 million doses to Cameroon, up to 3 million to Ethiopia, and up to 4 million to Zambia. The UPS Foundation commits to expanding upon its existing Ghana medical drone network in 2022 to provide the delivery of critically needed supplies and expand access to quality health care. In-country transportation has been committed for 1 million doses to new Zipline drone distribution centers in Nigeria and Kenya. In Malawi, the UPS Foundation is funding in-country drone delivery provided by Swoop Aero and Village Reach with plans to reach 3 million people. In partnership with UNICEF, the UPS Foundation is funding ‘Ultra Cold Vaccine Training’ in Malawi, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

UPS Healthcare: Commits to delivering 5.9 million vaccines to Nigeria in addition to the 9.3 million previously delivered. The shipment is funded through UNICEF and USAID, and coordinated with technical expertise from UPS and donated ultra-cold chain equipment. To date, UPS Healthcare has delivered more than 1.4 billion COVD-19 vaccine doses to over 110 countries.

Wellcome Trust: As a founding partner of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations we committed $150M to CEPI this year, as part of Wellcome’s commitment to spend £16B over the next ten years on science to improve health. This includes funding for Infectious Disease and Pandemic Preparedness, to help buildnetworks to detect outbreaks before they escalate, to trainpublic health professionals and enhance capacity globally, and expand Research and Development of countermeasures.  Wellcome also supports mobilising additional funds to prevent future pandemics, and is providing £10 million in seed funding toward establishing the pandemic preparedness and global health security Financial Intermediary Fund at the World Bank, signalling our early philanthropic commitment to working in partnership with others in the fund. We applaud this Summit which comes at a critical moment. We believe these collective commitments will contribute to ensuring equitable health security for all and the world has the knowledge and networks in place to prevent and respond to emerging threats whilst remaining committed to long standing endemic health issues of importance to communities.

Women in Global Health: Commits to advocate for: Equal leadership representation in global health governance, including pandemic decision making and advisory bodies; a new social contract for women health workers with safe, decent and equally paid work.  This includes protection from harm and personal protective equipment designed for women’s bodies; and addressing the gender dimensions and impacts of pandemic policies and programmes, using sex disaggregated data.

[1] All commitments made in 2022 are counted toward the goals of the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit. Of these, approximately $3.1 billion were raised in new funds, not yet announced.

[2] All commitments made in 2022 are counted toward the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit.  Of these, approximately $700 million was raised in new funds, not yet announced.

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2nd Global COVID-19 Summit Commitments | The White House

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The second Global COVID-19 Summit, co-hosted by United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia, and Senegal, convened over partners and organizations from

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- Patente verhindern schnelle Zugänge zu Impfstoffen , die zur Bekämpfung des Virus notwendig sind
- Solidarität und gemeinsame Verantwortung als Grundprinzipien

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- Aufhebung Impfpatente und weitere Rechte des geistigen Eigentums während der Pandemiedauer (=WAIVER ABKOMMEN)
--> universeller Zugang
--> durch internationale Zusammenarbeit Produktion erhöhen und so künstliche Knappheit zu beenden
--> schnellere Innovation durch Zusammenarbeit
--> Senkung Transaktionskosten
-->Klare und sichere Verteilung der Impfstoffe

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- durch Zusammenarbeit Technologietransfer und Massenproduktion von Gesundheitsprodukten fördern
- Geschichte der AIDS und Tuberkulose-Krankheiten in Südafrika darf sich nicht wiederholen

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- Lehren aus AIDS-Geschichte Südafrika ziehen. Fehler dürfen nicht wiederholt werden
- Durchsetzung der befristeten Aufhebung des TRIPS-Abkommens
- AIDS-Epidemie bis 2030 im Rahmen der Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung zu beenden

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"Seine Annahme wird es den Ländern ermöglichen, zusammenzuarbeiten, um nationale und multilaterale Strategien zur Förderung der Innovation von und des Zugangs zu Arzneimitteln, Diagnostika, Impfstoffen und anderen Gesundheitstechnologien zu entwickeln."
(Winnie Byanyima)

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Am 15. und 16. Oktober tagte das das für Patente zuständige TRIPS Council[1] der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO). Bereits am 2. Oktober hatten Indien und Südafrika einen vielbeachteten Vorschlag eingebracht, zeitweilig für alle Produkte, die zur Vorbeugung, Eindämmung und Behandlung von Covid-19 notwendig sind, den Patentschutz auszusetzen. In der Sprache der WTO heißt so eine Ausnahmeregelung „Waiver“.

Hauptargument der initiierenden Länder war, dass Patente die Fähigkeit von Staaten verringern, die Versorgung mit Impfstoffen aber auch Medizinprodukten sicherzustellen, die zur Bekämpfung von COVID-19 notwendig sind. Der Waiver soll den WTO-Mitgliedern ermöglichen, den Schutz geistigen Eigentums in derlei Fällen zeitlich befristet auszusetzen. Er soll gelten, bis weltweite Impfkampagnen gegen das Virus durchgeführt und weitreichende Immunität erzielt wurde.

Als erstes Land hatte Chile die Unterstützung der indisch/südafrikanischen Initiative zugesagt,[2] Kenia und Eswatini (Swasiland) traten schließlich als Co-Sponsoren der Initiative auf. Darüber hinaus setzten sich wichtige UN-Akteure offen dafür ein. UNAIDS-Direktorin Winnie Byanyima ließ etwa verlauten, man dürfe nicht das Erlebte der frühen Jahre im Kampf gegen Aids wiederholen. Damals hätte man in reichen Ländern gesunden können, während in ärmeren Ländern Millionen Menschen keine Behandlung erhielten.[3]

Im Vorfeld der Verhandlungen gab es eine breite zivilgesellschaftliche Unterstützung für den Waiver. So forderten 379 NGOs aus aller Welt, darunter auch die BUKO Pharma-Kampagne, in einem offenen Brief alle WTO-Mitglieder auf, dem von Indien und Südafrika eingebrachten Text zuzustimmen.

Nach dreistündiger Debatte zeichnete sich jedoch nicht die notwendige Zweidrittel-Mehrheit ab. Für den eingebrachten Vorschlag stimmten die Gruppe der afrikanischen Länder und die Gruppe der am wenigsten entwickelten Länder (LDC), aber auch Bangladesch, Pakistan, Indonesien, Argentinien, Ägypten und weitere Nationen. Dagegen sprachen sich sowohl die EU, als auch die USA aus, zudem u.a. noch Großbritannien, Kanada und Brasilien. Eine größere Gruppe von Staaten wiederum signalisierte Unterstützung, aber bat um Zeit für einen Austausch über Details. Hierzu zählten etwa China, Ecuador, die Philippinen und Nigeria.[4]

Nach WTO-Reglement kann das TRIPS Council nun bis 31. Dezember über seinen Report zu der Initiative entscheiden – der nächste Schritt könnte dann eine Abstimmung zum Thema in der übergeordneten Ministerialkonferenz sein.[5]

[1] TRIPS:Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chile-un-agencies-global-health-groups-back-india-on-ip-waiver-of-covid-19-therapies/articleshowprint/78687301.cms

[3] www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2020/october/20201015_waiver-obligations-trips-agreement-covid19

[4] www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/no-consensus-on-india-south-africas-wto-proposal-to-waive-off-patent-rights-for-covid-19-innovation/story/419292.html

[5] www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/wto-members-divided-over-india-south-proposal-for-trips-waiver-during-covid-19/article32878713.ece

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Indien und Südafrika fordern von WTO, Patente wegen Covid-19 auszusetzen

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Die BUKO Pharma-Kampagne bietet seit mehr als vier Jahrzehnten Big Pharma die Stirn und engagiert sich seither für eine bessere Gesundheit in Süd und Nord.

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Um schneller mehr Impfstoffe und andere medizinische Güter produzieren zu können, ist die Freigabe von Patenten unverzichtbar. Einige Länder, darunter Deutschland, blockieren allerdings eine Freigabe der Patente und verzögern so eine effektive Bekämpfung der Corona-Pandemie. Mach mit bei unserer Twitter-Aktion und fordere die deutsche Bundesregierung dazu auf, ihre Blockadehaltung aufzugeben.
Impfstoffe und Medikamente, Sauerstoff und Beatmungsgeräte, Schutzmasken und vieles mehr: All das wird dringend gebraucht, um weltweit Leben zu retten und die Corona-Pandemie zu beenden. Doch für die Menschen in vielen Ländern der Welt sind diese Güter knapp und nicht bezahlbar.

Während in Europa die Erstimpfquote bei rund 30 Prozent liegt und in Deutschland sogar schon mehr als 40 Prozent der Menschen mindestens einmal geimpft wurden, sind es in Asien nur 6 Prozent. In Afrika liegt die Erstimpfquote sogar nur bei knapp 2 Prozent. Um schneller mehr Impfstoffe und andere medizinische Güter produzieren zu können, ist die Freigabe von Patenten ein unverzichtbarer Baustein. Patente verknappen künstlich die Herstellungskapazität.

Doch die Bundesregierung lehnt eine Freigabe von Patenten bisher ab. Amnesty International fordert die Bundesregierung deshalb auf, sich für einen zeitweisen Verzicht auf geistiges Eigentum auf diejenigen Produkte einzusetzen, die benötigt werden, um weltweit Herdenimmunität durch Impfungen zu erreichen und dabei Menschenleben zu retten. Einen entsprechenden Vorschlag haben Südafrika und Indien bereits im Oktober 2020 bei der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) eingereicht.

Dieser sogenannte "TRIPS Waiver" wird unterstützt von über 100 Regierungen, dem Generaldirektor der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO), 175 Nobelpreisträger_innen und ehemaligen Staats- und Regierungschef_innen, dem EU-Parlament, Gewerkschaften und Nichtregierungsorganisationen. TRIPS ist das Übereinkommen über handelsbezogene Aspekte der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums.

Eine Minderheit der WTO-Mitglieder - darunter Deutschland - blockieren den Vorschlag Patente freizugeben. Dabei werden oft folgende Begründungen aufgeführt, die einer näheren Betrachtung nicht standhalten. Wir nehmen sie hier unter die Lupe: Keine Ausreden mehr!

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Keine Ausreden mehr! Warum eine Patentfreigabe im Kampf gegen Corona Leben rettet

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Um schneller mehr Impfstoffe und andere medizinische Güter produzieren zu können, ist die Freigabe von Patenten unverzichtbar. Einige Länder, darunter Deutschland, blockieren allerdings eine Freigabe der Patente und verzögern so eine effektive Bekämpfung der Corona-Pandemie. Mach mit bei unserer Twitter-Aktion und fordere die deutsche Bundesregierung dazu auf, ihre Blockadehaltung aufzugeben.

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Médecins Sans Frontières Access Campaign

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Voices from the frontline tell us what they're seeing and what is needed to save lives

Every day our medical teams are tested to their limits as they try to bring help to communities affected by COVID-19.

There is an urgent need for people to get access to tests, medicines and vaccines to protect them against the virus.

We have the tools - there are vaccines and tests, and some medicines that can help reduce the severity of the disease.

But while people in high-income countries are able to get hold of vaccines, tests and medicines, that's not the case for many people in low- and middle-income countries, including in places where MSF works.

We need to see the end of this inequity and the supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and tests boosted globally to ensure everyone has access.

That's why we need governments to stop blocking the World Trade Organization (WTO) Waiver on monopolies of COVID-19 medical tools; the pharma industry to share its vaccine technologies and know-how with other manufacturers; and countries to share their excess vaccine doses with the rest of the world.

Our people are passionate about saving lives. Help them get the tools to do so.

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Every day our medical teams are tested to their limits as they try to bring help to communities affected by COVID-19. There is an urgent need for people to get access to tests, medicines and vaccines to protect them against the virus.

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I. Teil: Allgemeine Bestimmungen und Grundprinzipien

II. Teil: Normen betreffend die Verfügbarkeit, den Umfang und die

Nutzung der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums

1. Urheberrecht und verwandte Rechte

2. Marken

3. Geographische Angaben

4. Gewerbliche Muster

5. Patente

6. Layout-Designs (Topographien) integrierter Schaltkreise

7. Schutz nicht offengelegter Informationen

8. Bekämpfung wettbewerbswidriger Praktiken in

vertraglichen Lizenzen

III. Teil: Durchsetzung der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums

1. Allgemeine Pflichten

2. Zivil- und verwaltungsrechtliche Verfahren und

Abhilfemaßnahmen

3. Einstweilige Maßnahmen

4. Besondere Erfordernisse im Hinblick auf Maßnahmen an

den Grenzen

5. Strafverfahren

IV. Teil: Erwerb und Aufrechterhaltung von Rechten des geistigen

Eigentums und damit im Zusammenhang stehende

Parteienverfahren

V. Teil: Streitverhütung und Streitbeilegung

VI. Teil: Übergangsvereinbarungen

VII. Teil: Institutionelle Regelungen; Schlußbestimmungen

Die Mitglieder,

in dem Wunsche, Verzerrungen und Behinderungen des internationalen Handels zu beseitigen und unter Berücksichtigung der Notwendigkeit, einen wirksamen und angemessenen Schutz der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums zu fördern und sicherzustellen, daß die Maßnahmen und Verfahren zur Durchsetzung der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums nicht selbst zu Schranken für den legitimen Handel werden;

in der Erkenntnis, daß es zu diesem Zweck neuer Regeln und Verpflichtungen bedarf, im Hinblick auf:

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RIS - WTO-Abkommen - Rechte des geistigen Eigentums - Bundesrecht konsolidiert, Fassung vom 14.06.2022

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I. Teil: Allgemeine Bestimmungen und Grundprinzipien II. Teil: Normen betreffend die Verfügbarkeit, den Umfang und die Nutzung der Rechte des geistigen Eigentums 1. Urheberrecht und verwandte Rechte 2. Marken 3. Geographische Angaben 4. Gewerbliche Muster 5. Patente 6. Layout-Designs (Topographien) integrierter Schaltkreise 7. Schutz nicht offengelegter Informationen 8.

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Forderungen der Aktivist*inne zur Aufnahme:
1.  Die sofortige Einbeziehung von Covid-19-Therapeutika, Diagnostika und medizinischer Ausrüstung.

2.  Alle Länder sollten die Möglichkeit haben, die Ausnahmeregelung zu nutzen.

3.  Zusätzliche Barrieren für Länder, bzw. Unternehmen, in die Produktion einzusteigen oder Impfstoffe zu importieren oder zu exportieren, müssen verhindert werden.

4.Alle geistigen Eigentumsrechte müssen freigegeben werden, die für die Herstellung von Impfstoffen und anderen Covid-19-Technologien entscheidend sind, einschließlich nicht offengelegter Daten, Geschäftsgeheimnisse, Urheberrechte.

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Rechtfertigt der wissenschaftliche Forschungsansatz und Innovation das Patentrecht, und ist es wichtiger als umfassende globale Hilfen für Alle?

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Rechtfertigt der wissenschaftliche Forschungsansatz und Innovation das Patentrecht, und ist es wichtiger als umfassende globale Hilfen für Alle?

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Dürfen Mechanismen der freiheitlich-liberalen Wirtschaftsordnung im Falle weltweiter Not ausgesetzt werden?

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Dürfen Mechanismen der freiheitlich-liberalen Wirtschaftsordnung im Falle weltweiter Not ausgesetzt werden?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn die Zugänge für viele Länder Erde zu Impfstoffen patentiert bleiben?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn die Zugänge für viele Länder Erde zu Impfstoffen patentiert bleiben?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn die Patente in Notsituationen freigegeben werden?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn die Patente in Notsituationen freigegeben werden?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn Teile des Wirtschaftssektors sich wieder in staatlicher Hand befinden?

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Wie könnten Zukunftsszenarien aussehen, wenn Teile des Wirtschaftssektors sich wieder in staatlicher Hand befinden?