The EU, UK & a few other governments are determined to continue blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver at the World Trade Organization.

This means global vaccine shortages will continue.

They will prolong the pandemic.

This week saw a dramatic change in US policy, when Biden shifted away from Trump’s profits-first approach to the pandemic.

Australia & New Zealand followed suit.

But the EU - led by Germany - is digging in its heels to back profits over human lives.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57013096

Yes, Trump is gone, but Merkel wants to continue his inhumane legacy.

The US decision has set off a hurricane of media attention, and pharma companies are spending shedloads to spread all sorts of lies and misdirections about the #TRIPSwaiver.

The EU is sadly joining them in this.

Let's take some of their whinging points, one by one...

First, pharma shills (also pandemic profiteers) whine that a temporary patent waiver will disincentivize them in developing future vaccines.

This borders on extortion, and it's also ahistorical.

What incentivized them last time was our governments throwing billions at pharma.

Billions in public money went into the development of these vaccines:
https://www.msf.org/governments-must-demand-all-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-deals-are-made-public

And public money has been essential to the development of the underlying technology for ages:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/for-billion-dollar-covid-vaccines-basic-government-funded-science-laid-the-groundwork/

And "public money", by the way, means our money. Our taxes.

The pharma companies are making obscene amounts of money.

Millions of us are dying.

In a global pandemic, I have no time for people who are basically moaning that they might have to wait a few days to buy their third yacht.

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/pharmaceutical-giants-shell-out-billions-shareholders-world-confronts-vaccine

Second, those paid by the pharma companies say the #TRIPSwaiver wouldn't instantly bring new production online, because manufacturing is complicated.

To which I say: no duh.

This is, in fact, the best argument for backing the waiver immediately & not delaying further.

When the #TRIPSwaiver was first proposed in October, some 1 million people had already died of COVID.

Today, 7 months later, the death toll is 3.2 million.

How much longer should we wait? https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1382301491789246464

As for the complexities, let's listen to the experts...

Suhaib Siddiqi, former director of chemistry at Moderna, says that with the blueprint & technical advice, a modern factory should be able to get vaccine production going in at most, 3 to 4 months. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/rich-nations-vaccinating-one-person-every-second-while-majority-poorest-nations-are

3 to 4 months to bring new vaccine production online to address the current shortage…

Countries have been blocking the #TRIPwaiver for 7 months…

So, don't give me that nonsense about, "it's not an instant solution".

We know. That's why your delaying tactics are appalling

The third slice of the nonsense pie that is opposition to the #TRIPSwaiver - and now a top EU talking point - is that exporting vaccines from current producing countries is the answer.

But if this were enough, why is only 3.6% of the world vaccinated after 4 months of rollout?

The EU - in the form of fresh statements re exports from @vonderleyen & @CharlesMichel - is attempting misdirection.

Exporting, not exporting - that's just arguing about who gets scarce supplies. It will not increase global production of vaccines.

The #TRIPSwaiver will.

And that is the core of the problem, as everyone knows: global vaccine scarcity.

We must produce more doses of vaccines, more quickly.

By obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver, the EU, UK and a few others, are blocking wider vaccine production globally.

Prolonging the pandemic by restricting production helps pharma profits, but for everyone else it means:

More death;

More economic disruption;

More chances for new variants to emerge that are more deadly, more virulent, and/or resistant to the current vaccines.

Think about that last point in particular: even if you are one of the lucky few to have been vaccinated, the longer this global pandemic goes on, the greater the risk that this comes back to bite you & your loved ones, too.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/two-thirds-epidemiologists-warn-mutations-could-render-current-covid-vaccines

The phama companies know this, by the way. They talk openly about third doses being needed and new vaccines likely being necessary to meet new variants resistant to current vaccines.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/pfizer-ceo-says-third-covid-vaccine-dose-likely-needed-within-12-months.html

3rd doses and new vaccines to meet new variants - that means demand will continue in the "rich countries", while supply (due to limited production capacity thanks to blocking the #TRIPSwaiver) remains low.

Again, great for profits. But deadly for the rest of us.

If the future is annual shots…

…but there's no capacity to make enough shots, quickly enough globally.

Then billions of us will never get the latest jab and be a source of newer variants.

And we'll need newer shots for newer variants…

Forever?

Who benefits from that?

This is complete madness.

We're wasting time, when time only gives the virus more opportunities to kill us.

By blocking wider vaccine production globally, the EU, UK & a few other laggards are boosting pharma companies' profits, while people are suffering & dying.

The US administration has seen the light.

The EU, UK & others are determined to keep us on the profits-first approach to the global pandemic that we all know is failing.

EU citizens!

Tell the European Commission to start prioritising human lives over pharma company profits.

SIGN this OFFICIAL EU Citizens' Initiative:

And everyone!

SHARE it on all the channels you can.

https://noprofitonpandemic.eu/ 

When you support the #TRIPSwaiver, you are in good company.

It's backed by over 100 governments: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/oxfam-response-wto-trips-waiver-covid-19-vaccines-being-blocked-again-rich-countries

And past presidents & prime ministers and Nobel laureates: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/president-biden-support-a-peoples-vaccine-2021-04-by-gordon-brown-et-al-2021-04

NGOs: https://peoplesvaccine.org/ 

Also backing the #TRIPSwaiver:

Medical experts: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00388-3/fulltext

The head of the World Health Organization: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/05/covid-vaccines-who-chief-backs-patent-waiver-to-boost-production

Hundreds of European lawmakers: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/27/nearly-400-meps-and-mps-join-chorus-voices-calling-trips-waiver-covid-19-vaccines
https://twitter.com/samiraraf/status/1388169919603302407

Also in support of waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines:

US lawmakers: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/544620-progressives-up-pressure-on-biden-to-back-covid-vaccine-patent-waiver

Trade unions: https://www.etuc.org/en/document/letter-european-commission-covid-vaccines

And now…

The US: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biden-says-plans-back-wto-waiver-vaccines-2021-05-05/

Australia: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-07/dan-tehan-says-australia-will-support-patent-waiver-for-vaccines/13333684

New Zealand: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/125048729/new-zealand-to-support-effort-to-waive-covid19-vaccine-patents-after-united-states-backs-wto-bid

Health experts, human rights defenders and most governments agree that the profits-first approach to the pandemic isn't working.

83% of shots given worldwide have been in high- & upper-middle-income countries.

0.3% in low-income countries.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

The EU is ridiculously sticking to the failed profits-first policy, under pressure from Merkel: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57013096

But Macron has now expressed support for the patent wavier:
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210506-france-expands-vaccine-program-as-macron-voices-support-for-patent-waiver

As has Italy's foreign minister: https://www.facebook.com/522391027797448/posts/4017396578296858/

And yes, that sound you hear is a massive shift in global politics...

The US has abandoned Trump's profits-before-people policy on the pandemic. The EU is sticking with it.
https://www.politico.eu/article/biden-makes-the-eu-look-like-the-bad-guys/

Other EU member states breaking with the EU position...

Dutch trade minister Sigrid Kaag welcomed the US backing for the waiver as a “good sign”: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/mixed-views-in-eu-on-us-backed-vaccine-rights-waiver-1.4557082

Spain's government called it "the way forward":
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-says-vaccine-patent-waiver-is-way-forward-not-enough-poor-countries-2021-05-06/

Poland's prime minister is also apparently onboard:
https://www.tvp.info/53686577/premier-bedziemy-dazyc-do-tego-by-najbogatsze-panstwa-udostepnily-patenty-do-produkcji-szczepionek

(h/t @FdPrzejrzystosc)

So, we need a new map, perhaps?

Data so far...

Please feel free to ping me with updates or corrections to this map of EU member state views. I've seen Belgium's PM is "open to reflection", so... that one's going to stay blue for now.

Ireland is "undecided":

MFA calls US move, "the right decision in response to a global demand emergency".

Health Min says, "hugely positive development."

But Trade Min still using the discredited, "too complicated for other countries" line.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/government-and-big-pharma-face-clash-on-covid-19-vaccine-patent-waiver-1.4557184

Ireland's Trade Min, Leo Varadkar, also says the COVAX facility will solve the problem.

But COVAX can't do it all. Here's a separate thread explaining why...

tl;dr: More money is nice, but it doesn't help if there's little or nothing to buy. https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1384392852281638912

"Who meets the EU Commission to discuss scarcity of vaccines...? An investigation of recent meetings show a disconcerting pattern: only those not questioning big pharma’s monopoly on patents seem to be allowed in."

New research from @corporateeurope:
https://corporateeurope.org/en/2021/05/commissions-pharma-echo-chamber

Remember last month when EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted support for waiving some intellectual property rules to scale up vaccine production globally?

Then deleted it...

Message control at the Commission is fierce, I guess: must be all pro-pharma-profits at all times.