Cape Town - Fix The Patent Laws Campaign are calling for Intellectual Property Law reform, to better enable access to lifesaving medicines for Covid-19 and other life-threatening diseases.
Government has acknowledged Intellectual Property as a barrier to Covid-19 health technologies and other medicines. It is initiating the TRIPS Waiver – a proposed waiver on all patents and intellectual property for Covid-19 medical technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic, but activists from the campaign said locally, there was no urgency to expedite the process of reforming domestic patent laws.
Activists marched to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) in Pretoria, calling for the urgent reform of intellectual property laws.
SECTION27 research and advocacy officer Julia Chaskalson said in the early 2000s patent laws were a huge barrier to people accessing antiretroviral therapy for HIV/Aids, and patents remained a barrier to accessing certain medicines for cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, mental health conditions and contraceptives because they were priced out of reach.
“We are demanding that the department publish amendments to the Patents Act, bringing the act in line with international treaties and putting public health first.
“We are also urging the government to reject patents on Covid-19 medical tools and strengthen the patent examination system so that health products which are necessary for public health are not granted patents automatically if patents might restrict access.”
“When drug companies hold patents, they have monopoly on the medicine or vaccine for at least 10 years and with no other company able to make the same medicine or vaccine without their permission, even in a health emergency.
“Due to patents, prices are kept high due to the unavailability of medicines and lack of competition, said the campaign.
People’s Health Movement South Africa steering committee member Dr Lauren Paremoer said: “Intellectual property law reform is vital to ensuring patents aren’t automatically granted for life-saving medicines.
“Patents generally result in restricting supply and increasing the costs of medicines, which undermines the right to healthcare guaranteed in our Constitution.”