Covid Crisis & Patent Waiver – A Saga

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been the biggest calamity in recent times. The pandemic put to test not only the global supply chain and infrastructure but also the national and international disaster-management capacities. These challenging times compelled the world to tackle the problem from a global perspective.
Ergo, with several joint efforts, the countries were able to collaborate, construct and finally implement an international decision with respect to intellectual property rights, which enabled the world to address the crisis as one.
In this article, the authors aim to discuss the proposals for intellectual property (IP) / patent waiver and the nuances of WTO’s Ministerial Decision. The authors also highlight the decision’s effectiveness in addressing the issue of the accessibility of resources to combat the dreadful pandemic.