Germany to help pause the patents so we can get vaccines cheaper and faster

If you are a human, ignore this field

Form to send email

To:

EU Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis

German Ambassador to South Africa Martin Schäfer

Globally, 2.4 million have died from COVID-19 [1]. The sooner people have access to COVID-19 vaccines, the more lives will be saved, and less people will get sick.

The world is facing a serious vaccine shortage challenge. At the current rate, vaccines are being administered, some countries will only be able to immunise the majority of their populations as late as 2023 or even 2024 - which will keep the pandemic going and cause many more deaths [2]. But some rich countries have used their power to not only get COVID-19 vaccines first and cheaper, but also buying more vaccines than their people need.

There is a simple solution. We need more vaccines manufactured. But the big pharmaceutical companies who made effective COVID-19 vaccines have something called a patent, which stops others from making the same vaccines they made [3]. This gives companies a lot of power around the pricing and can make them very rich at the expense of many lives.

At a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting, South Africa and India proposed that these patents are temporarily paused, but some rich countries move to block this proposal. This Tuesday the 23rd of February, there will be another meeting at the WTO of the Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) council. If we can start building pressure on key countries like Germany, France and Portugal, we can help ensure enough countries vote to pause the patents at the WTO General Council meeting at the start of March.

[1] Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country by By The Visual and Data Journalism Team for BBC News, 15 Feb 202.

[2] Most poor nations 'will take until 2024 to achieve mass Covid-19 immunisation' by Michael Safi for The Guardian, Wed 27 Jan 2021.

[3] Vaccines and patents: how self-interest and artificial scarcity weaken human solidarity by Siva Thambisetty for LSE British, Feb 9th 2021.

Subject (required):

Email body

Dear Ambassador Schäfer,

You recently acknowledged that; “We Germans share with South Africans this great historical experience that everything is possible, against all odds, if we really want it and the time is ripe” [1]. You were talking about the significance of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.

Right now, you have a once in a lifetime opportunity to help change history. As the German Ambassador to South Africa, you are in a unique position to engage the German government, the German people and EU Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis (cced) to support South Africa’s call to the WTO to waive intellectual property rules which could help save the lives of millions.

Living in our country, we know you understand just how vulnerable our communities are. We call on you to ensure Germany and the EU support South Africa and India’s call for the relaxation of intellectual property rules from certain provisions of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 [2]. 
 
COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments need to be manufactured and distributed as widely as possible to meet global demand,  as this is a step towards ending the pandemic for everyone, everywhere. To date, the continent of Africa more than any other region in the world has been hard hit by vaccine shortages. Already South Africa was charged nearly triple the price the EU will pay for the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, showing the cost impact of the absence of widespread manufacturing [3]. The COVID-19 vaccine must be a public good, not limited by the ability to pay. 
 
During the AIDS crisis, we saw that the more companies that have intellectual property and technology to make medicines, the cheaper and more widely available they become [4]. The waiver is just one piece of the solution, but we need to take every step possible to end COVID-19 as quickly as possible.
 
The production of effective vaccines was a victory for science and innovation. We now need a victory for humanity by ensuring that all people, no matter where in the world they are benefit from this breakthrough. Which side of history will you choose to be on? 
 
We trust you care about the health of people all around the world with no discrimination or prejudice. The pandemic will not be over unless it is over for everyone!

Please kindly confirm receipt of this email.

[1] Martin Schäfer, (Feb 2021) available at: https://twitter.com/AmbSchaefer/status/1356612309469323271

[2]  Proposal by India and South Africa to waive certain provisions of the WTO trips agreement to support the global covid-19 pandemic response. 6, October 2020: https://www.southcentre.int/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Note-on-India-SA-proposal-waiver-TRIPS.pdf

[3] South Africa paying more than double EU price for Oxford vaccine, Helen Sullivan and agencies for the Guardian Friday 22, Jan 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/22/south-africa-paying-more-than-double-eu-price-for-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine

[4] Access to affordable medicines for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis: the intellectual property rights context, Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, Section 8, Page 15-16 (2011): https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/204741/B5144.pdf?sequence=1

You're sending this email as Not you? Click here

First name:

Last name:

Your email address (required):

Recipients will receive your name, email address.

Postcode (required):

Recipients will receive your name, email address.

Skip this step

Thanks for sending an email!

Next step - spread the word

Skip this step

Germany to help pause the patents so we can get vaccines cheaper and faster

Next step - spread the word

Tell Germany to help pause the patents so we can get vaccines cheaper and faster