Thailand Calls for Lifting of Intellectual Property Protection on COVID-19 Vaccines

[webfact]

 

By Subhabhong Rarueysong

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit has called for the lifting of intellectual property protection on COVID-19 vaccines, during a virtual meeting with trade ministers from Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries.

 

He said Thailand supports compulsory licensing, which enables countries to start producing COVID-19 vaccines without seeking permission from the patent holder. Thailand will also push for COVID-19 vaccines to be removed from intellectual property protection lists, as per the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.

 

At the meeting, Minister Jurin said Thailand backs the WTO’s move to accelerate negotiations on vaccine production with the World Health Organization (WHO), and will help with the transportation of vaccines and other essential goods required in the battle against COVID-19.

 

Meanwhile, APEC said a trade mechanism to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, multilateral free trade and a pathway to sustainability are required. The setting up of a COVID-19 vaccine supply chain, to facilitate the trade in vaccines and essential goods, is also necessary.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-06-08

 

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[starky]

Yes cos Thailand is all about free trade. Look at the success of the Asean free trade agreement. 

  A country that thrives on monopolies and exorbitant taxes on foreign made goods asking for a license so they can further make profit on the pandemic is extracting the urine at  level I didn't think possible even by these corrupt fools.

Edited June 8, 2021 by starky

[RafPinto]

Intellectual Property and Thailand???

[86Tiger]

So, you want them to give you the recipe.

 

 

If it doesn't  come out properly will you still seek monetary compensation for damages?

[mackayae]

Chula already has the technology.

[pseudorabies]

Because designing and producing the vaccine is easy and placing the order is the hard part?

 

Or you could just have approved the vaccine and authorized its import quickly. You know, as if lives depend on it.  It it were me I'd try that avenue first and see how that goes. Unless you have reason to believe that vaccines produced in the west might be contaminated with farang cooties (is there a test for that yet?)

 

 

[khunPer]

That's in general a very dangerous move, i.e. lifting intellectual property protection. In present Covid-19 situation is not only a question of intellectual property, but as well of production facilities, expertise in production and raw materials, which is what limits production at the moment, so lifting intellectual property protection won't increase safe vaccine production.

 

Furthermore, if investors in medical products cannot protect their intellectual property there might be no intention of all to pump billions of any currency into research and tests, with the always potential risk of a failure and loss. Future development could be limited to only being public financial sources. Did health care in the past perform very well in systems based on that...????

[A1beone]

2 hours ago, starky said:

Yes cos Thailand is all about free trade. Look at the success of the Asean free trade agreement. 

  A country that thrives on monopolies and exorbitant taxes on foreign made goods asking for a license so they can further make profit on the pandemic is extracting the urine at  level I didn't think possible even by these corrupt fools.

real talk ????

[AlexRich]

I wonder if they’d be calling for that if a Thai pharmaceutical company developed an effective vaccine? Or would they just cynically fleece the rest of the world? 
 

At least AstraZeneca sell their vaccine close to cost, unlike Pfizer and Moderna. 
 

The danger is that there would be increased competition around the world for ingredients not to mention that many countries have little experience in vaccine production … leading to badly produced vaccines and fakes. I think this call would be a terrible idea for the world.

[unblocktheplanet]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

That's in general a very dangerous move, i.e. lifting intellectual property protection. In present Covid-19 situation is not only a question of intellectual property, but as well of production facilities, expertise in production and raw materials, which is what limits production at the moment, so lifting intellectual property protection won't increase safe vaccine production.

 

Furthermore, if investors in medical products cannot protect their intellectual property there might be no intention of all to pump billions of any currency into research and tests, with the always potential risk of a failure and loss. Future development could be limited to only being public financial sources. Did health care in the past perform very well in systems based on that...????

I take the opposite view. I think govts should fund all research, keeping pharma in business without being profiteers riding on the neck of public health.

 

Nobody's going to be making Covid vaccines in a Nonthaburi bathtub!

[DLock]

I understand the logic...

 

But if the companies that spend billions developing medicines know that they patents are useless and they cannot make money for the company and shareholders, then advances in medicine will cease...

 

...and do I trust Thailand to be honest about production numbers and licensing, as well as following the vaccine formula to the letter, and not try and squeeze 12 doses out of 10ml, just to make more money...

 

Ahhh...no.

[metisdead]

A post using an animated childish meme has been removed, again. 

[RocketDog]

3 hours ago, starky said:

Yes cos Thailand is all about free trade. Look at the success of the Asean free trade agreement. 

  A country that thrives on monopolies and exorbitant taxes on foreign made goods asking for a license so they can further make profit on the pandemic is extracting the urine at  level I didn't think possible even by these corrupt fools.

I agree.

With the giant strides the Kingdom has made recently in the run-up to the Manned Moon Mission, the brainpower needed to create a new vaccine is well in hand already.

 

With some slight accommodations and cooperation the Thai astronauts could actually develop a vaccine while on the orbital mission.

Problems solved!

 

Sure sure. Critics will say that this will delay the launch, but I say it's worth the delay as both programs are high priority efforts.

[connda]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit has called for the lifting of intellectual property protection on COVID-19 vaccines

There are billions if not trillions to be made.  You would think in the middle of a declared pandemic which is being referred to my the majority of the frightened public and oft times by Western media as The Plague that the vaccine manufacturers would do the right thing for humanity and lift IP protection. 
But?
Revenues and Profits all trump the health of mankind?  Obviously The Plague is not bad enough.  Which makes me consider that revenues and profits are the primary driving force behind this entire thing in the first place.

What sort of world do we live in that corporate revenues and profits come before public health in a declared pandemic?  A pretty da*med sad world imho run by some very evil and greedy people.

Edited June 8, 2021 by connda

[bangon04]

Just think how much more profit that Siam Biosciences could make .........

[bangon04]

11 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Nobody's going to be making Covid vaccines in a Nonthaburi bathtub!

careful what you wish for..........

[bangon04]

Just now, bangon04 said:

careful what you wish for..........

think of all those empty little glass vials (ready-labelled)used with nowhere to go......

[Sydebolle]

I am honestly puzzled, usually they do not ask but just do it. Or has Rolex approved copying their stuff without prior consent - asking for a friend! 

[Fex Bluse]

This is a deeply idiotic movement, started by the western liberal progressives in the EU, US and WHO and others. We should shut down this nonsense at the source.

 

The biggest and most obvious problem with this idea is that pharma companies will never again come the world's aid  -- when China releases the next wave of viruses on the world -- because it will not be commercially feasible. 

 

Of course the Asians (Thais, included) will push for freebies because they are experts at exploiting western economic openess.

 

Knowing Thailand, they will get the vaccines free from Pfizer and Moderna and AZ and STILL charge Farang in Thailand triple what they charge Thais.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

The biggest and most obvious problem with this idea is that pharma companies will never again come the world's aid

Pharma companies aren't charities, they've never come to anyone's aid.

COVID has already created 9 new billionaires.

[chalawaan]

Coming to a Sukhumvit Kamagra stall near you, cut-price Covid vax copies. And the forged paperwork thrown in for free.

[Fex Bluse]

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Pharma companies aren't charities, they've never come to anyone's aid.

COVID has already created 9 new billionaires.

As it should have. Agree. Business is business. The mRNA tech has been in development for decades.

 

Billions of dollars of research and all the related hard work of facilitating this work like maintaining intellectual property rights, attracting the best minds, schools, attracting smart foreigners to the west by not, for example, perpetuating national xenophobia... 

 

These are some of the costs of developing world class economies that can do what has been done here. 

 

That is not free. 

[BestB]

Makes total sense , why bother to use brain when you can simply copy 

[BestB]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Pharma companies aren't charities, they've never come to anyone's aid.

COVID has already created 9 new billionaires.

There is no doubt pharma company’s have done well and will continue to do well because of covid, it does not mean someone like Thailand who are incapable of developing anything should just copy the recipe and be all ok.

 

thai pharma can buy the license to produce instead of stealing it pretending it’s for the greater cause. 

[poskat]

translation: you do the work, and I will make the money

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, BestB said:

There is no doubt pharma company’s have done well and will continue to do well because of covid, it does not mean someone like Thailand who are incapable of developing anything should just copy the recipe and be all ok.

 

thai pharma can buy the license to produce instead of stealing it pretending it’s for the greater cause. 

I think Thailand are right to copy.

For the good of the people trumps all other concerns and rights IMHO.

I understand American corporations put profit before life, but that isn't the way the world should be run.

Edited June 9, 2021 by BritManToo

[Excel]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I think Thailand are right to copy.

For the good of the people trumps all other concerns and rights IMHO.

I understand American corporations put profit before life, but that isn't the way the world should be run.

Agreed . If it is such a potential life threatening pandemic, which Covid 19 is considered to be, then all vaccine producing plants should be put under their government's control by emergency powers as they would be during times of war, producing at cost only. This is a war against a virus and all means that could effectively win that battle should be globally shared.

[BestB]

25 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I think Thailand are right to copy.

For the good of the people trumps all other concerns and rights IMHO.

I understand American corporations put profit before life, but that isn't the way the world should be run.

Whatever made you think it’s for the good of the people and not to fill up it’s own pockets?

 

seen any charitable thai pharma ? 

Edited June 9, 2021 by BestB

[BestB]

12 minutes ago, Excel said:

Agreed . If it is such a potential life threatening pandemic, which Covid 19 is considered to be, then all vaccine producing plants should be put under their government's control by emergency powers as they would be during times of war, producing at cost only. This is a war against a virus and all means that could effectively win that battle should be globally shared.

You do of course understand cost is not just production right ? Cost includes development , trials and research .

 

China spends billions on industrial espionage , billions on reverse engineering but Thailand wants it all for free , why? Because they are thailand and everyone owes them ?

[Enzian]

I thought our first year in college we all were taught the difference between "should" and reality. Machiavelli, who was a good man, tried hundreds of years ago to beat this into our heads, and many still haven't got it.