GENEVA : In a strong stance on the patents waiver issue at the World Trade Organisation, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Monday stressed on the importance of including diagnostics and therapeutics under the deal besides Covid-19 vaccines, in line with the joint proposal with South Africa.
Addressing the thematic session on ‘Response to the Covid-19 pandemic’ on the second day of talks in Geneva, Goyal also pressed for a consensus-based outcome on the issue.
He emphasized on the need to ramp up manufacture of therapeutics and diagnostics to achieve a comprehensive test and treat strategy, as he argued that it was too late in the day to only look at a deal on vaccines waiver.
Hitting out at developed countries opposing the patents waiver issue, Goyal said that it was disappointing that for these countries super profits of pharma companies mattered more than concern for humanity. “We must redouble our efforts and commence negotiations on therapeutics and diagnostics as well, since the pandemic is far from over, particularly for the developing countries, including the least developed countries… There is opposition to include therapeutics and diagnostics, which could at least pave the way in the future to tackle any crisis," said the minister.