Any World Trade Organization (WTO) deal on COVID-19 vaccines should include more than just an intellectual property waiver, Mexico’s representative to the trade body has said, a sign consensus is building. proves difficult to forge.

The United States, European Union, India and South Africa have reached a tentative consensus on the elements of a long-sought intellectual property waiver for vaccines, according to a document that has been circulating among governments last month. However, important details remain unresolved and Mexico’s WTO representative Angel Villalobos said the draft was not an official document and there was no agreement yet.

Villalobos said that any agreement should be comprehensive and ensure that an intellectual property waiver does not affect investment in innovation, but also that no commercial restrictions are imposed on the elements necessary for the creation of life-saving vaccines. “Mexico is hoping that if a full response is gotten they should have both things, maybe some sort of waiver if a deal is done,” he told Reuters. “In addition to the other thing, I have to point out, the commercial side, it’s very important.”

This draft compromise would only apply to patents for COVID-19 vaccines, making it more limited than a broad WTO waiver proposal that had won support from the United States, which also said that no agreement had been reached. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) on Monday urged governments to reject the plan on the grounds that it “does not provide a meaningful solution” to make it easier for people to access needed treatment.

The draft text contained several limitations, including that the waiver is only available to WTO member countries that exported less than 10% of global exports of COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021. did not include COVID-19 treatments or tests. “The challenge is how to create infrastructure so that Africa and some regions can produce vaccines and prepare for a new pandemic,” Villalobos said.

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