Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Business

COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver is "no silver bullet" - EU's Michel

FILE PHOTO: European Council President Charles Michel speaks during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France June 9, 2021. Julien Warnand/Pool via REUTERS

A proposed waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments is "no silver bullet", European Council president Charles Michel said on Thursday, adding he expected the topic to feature at the G7 summit.

"The question of intellectual property rights will likely be raised," Michel told a news conference ahead of the summit starting on Friday.

"The patent waiver might sound good, but it's no silver bullet. The TRIPS agreement already offers flexibility and we want to focus on concrete proposals, such as promoting voluntary licences and knowledge transfers and patent-pooling on mutually agreed terms," he continued.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.