Strategic litigation for the release of COVID-19 vaccine patents

In collaboration with the Red-DESC and the Global Network of Movement Lawyers, the DESC Observatory has carried out advocacy and support work in the design and preparation of various strategic litigations that have the common goal of denouncing unequal access. at the global level of vaccines and other medicines against COVID-19, as well as to obtain the exemption of the intellectual property rights of these health products before the World Trade Organization.

On the one hand, an urgent petition has been submitted to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for an investigation into the unequal distribution of vaccines in the world and their possible discriminatory nature. , understanding that the distribution of 7 billion vaccines to rich countries, compared to the 300 million that the poor countries have received, can be described as an apartheid of vaccination. On the other hand, national lawsuits have been filed against the governments of Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom for their persistent opposition to the exemption, with the aim of changing the direction of voting.