This autumn, the Dutch government can make an important contribution to combating the global corona crisis. Three international summits are on the agenda at which the Netherlands can express its support for the temporary lifting of intellectual property rights for medical products against Covid-19, including vaccines. In a joint letter, civil society organisations Health Action International (HAI), Wemos, Oxfam Novib and Cordaid call on the cabinet to show political decisiveness.

Research by SOMO in cooperation with Wemos reveals that Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna avoids taxes on the profits it generates with billions of public funding. First the pharmaceutical company receives government subsidies for the development of its vaccine, then it sells the vaccines to governments for high prices, and in the end it transfers the majority of the profits to tax havens. Wemos and SOMO urge governments to attach conditions to public investments in development of vaccines and medicines, to ensure the accessibility and affordability of these products.

Wemos and EUPHA, the umbrella organization for public health associations and institutes in Europe, call upon public health experts to advocate sharing of patent rights, know-how and technology to maximize the production capacity of Covid-19 vaccines. In a joint statement, the two organizations stress that more certified pharmaceutical companies should be enabled to use their factories to produce vaccines. This is crucial in supplying all parts of the world with enough vaccines to end the corona pandemic as quickly as possible.