Seanad passes motion calling for waiver on Covid-19 vaccine technology

The motion called for the suspension of the vaccine patents to allow technology to be shared to facilitate the production of vaccines on a wider scale

Campaigners argue the waiver would allow widespread production of vaccines for poorer countries. File photo

A motion calling for the Government to support a TRIPs waiver on Covid vaccines passed the Seanad on Wednesday night.

The motion, brought by independent senator Alice Mary Higgins, passed after two government Senators - Fianna Fáil's Malcolm Byrne and the Green Party's Róisín Garvey - indicated they would not support a government counter-motion on the issue.

Campaigners have called for a suspension of Covid vaccine patents which are enshrined and enforced internationally through the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which allows for action to be taken against countries that provide compulsory licenses allowing “someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner”. 

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Campaigners argue this would allow widespread production of vaccines for poorer countries.

Ms Higgins said that the waiver is the moral thing to do in the midst of the pandemic. She told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that 100 factories could be producing vaccines in weeks.

"2.5 million nurses recently signed a petition from across the world calling for this waiver, because it's recognised as a crucial step. If we're going to be manufacturing vaccines at the scale we need to in order to get ahead of the virus, to slow the pandemic and crucially to save lives.

We've heard about the impact of Omicron and now it's on every sector in Ireland. But if you imagine that sweeping through countries where only 5% of the population are vaccinated, or only a quarter of frontline health workers are vaccinated - that's the reality of Africa at the moment. 

And it's a choice because it is an artificial scarcity created by the fact that we're not allowing countries to produce their own generic versions of medicines. And that decision is being made at the World Trade Organisation.

"100 countries are supportive of a waiver, including the United States, but just a handful of countries, the UK, Switzerland, and unfortunately, the European Union through the European Commission who represent them at the WTO, have been blocking it so that's what we were looking for."

Ms Higgins said that government senators had realised "we can't have any more excuses" on the waiver.

Speaking in the Dáil last week, the Taoiseach said that a waiver alone would not increase vaccine supply to the global south.

"We favour increased vaccine supply to the global South. The mere waving of a waiver does no do that. We need to be fair and honest with people in terms of what we are doing. It means building up capacity and licencing agreements but also distribution networks within certain countries."