IFPMA
17.6.2022 10:33:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Today’s decision at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC12) to endorse a TRIPS waiver for COVID-19 vaccines sends the wrong message to those carrying out research and development and innovating. It incorrectly points to intellectual property (IP) as a barrier to the pandemic response rather than an enabler bringing healthcare solutions, safely and quickly to patients.
IP has supported the fastest development and scale-up of safe and effective vaccines in history, with 13.9 billion COVID-19 vaccines produced to date. The IP framework has provided the basis for more than 380 voluntary partnerships for COVID-19 vaccines to be set up in record time, 88% of which involve technology transfer1 .
Today’s decision sends a dangerous signal not only to the pharmaceutical industry but to all innovative sectors. Dismantling the very framework that has brought solutions to tackle COVID-19 and facilitated the unprecedented number of partnerships, voluntary licensing, and knowledge-sharing taking place during this pandemic can have ripple effects for the future.
Thomas Cueni , IFPMA Director-General, said: “The conversations on an intellectual property waiver have been challenging from the beginning, with disregard to evidence and facts. The decision is a disservice to the scientists that left no stone unturned and undermines manufacturing partnerships on every continent. The single biggest factor affecting vaccine scarcity is not intellectual property, but trade. This has not been fully addressed by the World Trade Organization”.
About IFPMA
IFPMA (https://www.ifpma.org/ ) represents the research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. The research-based pharmaceutical industry’s 2 million employees discover, develop, and deliver medicines and vaccines that improve the life of patients worldwide. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220617005130/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
NIQ Publishes 2026 ESG Progress Report, Highlighting Action Across Climate, People, Communities, and Responsible AI2.11.2026 12:45:00 CET | Press release
Report details NIQ’s continued focus on responsible business, including its first climate risk assessment, expanded employee development and more than 100,000 volunteer hours NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a leading consumer intelligence company, today released its 2026 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Progress Report, detailing the company’s progress on key ESG priorities throughout 2025. The report covers NIQ’s efforts across environmental responsibility, its people and communities, data integrity, and responsible AI. Key highlights from 2025 include:Strengthened its approach to climate risk and environmental measurement: NIQ conducted its first climate risk assessment aligned with Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, tracked Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions under the GHG Protocol, and externally verified its carbon footprint. Invested in associate development, engagement and well-being: Internal mobility increased to 35%, up from 30%, while performance r
Agenus Announces Nature Medicine Publication of Multicenter UNICORN Phase 2 Trial Demonstrating Deep Responses with Neoadjuvant BOT+BAL in Resectable Colon Cancer2.11.2026 12:42:00 CET | Press release
In pMMR/MSS colon cancer, neoadjuvant BOT+BAL met the trial’s primary endpoint with a 36% major pathologic response rate, including 29% pathologic complete response, within an overall 71% pathologic response rate after one BOT dose and two BAL dosesNo patients treated with BOT+BAL had their cancer return, with median follow-up of 19.2 months in MSS disease and 16.7 months in MSI-H disease; 12-month event-free survival was 100% in both combination cohorts.Independent, multicenter UNICORN findings reinforce the NEST peer-reviewed neoadjuvant evidence supporting Agenus’ planned Phase 3 ROBBIN trial in curative-intent MSS/pMMR colon cancer Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced the peer-reviewed publication of results from the investigator-sponsored, multicenter Phase 2 UNICORN trial evaluating short-course preoperative, or neoadjuvant, botensilimab (BOT), Agenus’ multifunctional, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibody, alone or in combination with ba
New Joint Survey from Compass Pathways and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Reveals the Lived Burden of Treatment-Resistant Depression on Patients and Caregivers2.11.2026 12:30:00 CET | Press release
New survey findings reveal the extent of unmet need for people living with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and its impact on families, relationships and the ability to participate fully in everyday life Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, in partnership with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), today released a new report summarizing findings from a national survey of people living with TRD (n=261) and caregivers (n=73) on the self-reported realities of living with a condition that can profoundly affect daily life, revealing the burden of prolonged depressive episodes without meaningful relief. The survey findings demonstrate the impact of TRD across various aspects of everyday life, with many patients reporting years spent cycling through treatments without significant improvement while the condition takes a toll on their hope, identity, relationships and ab
Qorium Becomes Reyva as Cultivated Leather Company Moves Towards Commercial Scale2.11.2026 11:00:00 CET | Press release
New identity signals the company’s evolution into a standalone material brand for luxury and automotive markets Reyva develops real leather by cultivating bovine collagen from a small sample of animal cells. The new brand brings together advanced biotechnology, leather expertise and a clearer luxury proposition. The company’s team, technology, partnerships and commercial ambition continue under the new name. Qorium, the company that develops cultivated real leather, today announces that it is becoming Reyva. The new name and identity mark its next stage: moving from a pioneering technology business towards a global material brand built for the exacting standards of the luxury leather sector. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261102661351/en/ Reyva creates beautiful, high-performing real leather. By cultivating leather in uniform sheets, we can move beyond the natural limits of traditional hides, with greater con
Ant International Research Highlights How Readable AI Memories Can Unlock More Personalised, Privacy-conscious Consumer Experiences2.11.2026 09:52:00 CET | Press release
Human sales and customer representatives have institutional memories to serve clients: their preferences and choices. How can we build a memory mechanism for AI services to create similarly personalised experiences? Ant International’s research on this subject recently received the Senior Area Chair (SAC) Highlight Award from the Best Paper Committee at EMNLP 2026, a leading global AI conference. Why do we need “readable AI memory”? In this paper titled 'Text as a universal interface for transferable personalisation', we look into one fact: until now, AI memory of a user has usually been generated and stored as dense numerical code only the original system can interpret. Two long-standing problems with that: First, today's user profiles are "black boxes" — opaque code locked inside a single app, so activity in one service teaches nothing to another, and every product has to re-learn you from scratch. Second, profiles are welded to the model that created them, so they don't transfer whe
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom