37 countries launch alliance to share tools to battle Covid-19

Team Udayavani, May 31, 2020, 1:08 PM IST

Thirty-seven countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed for common ownership of vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic

The WHO effort comes amid concerns rich countries pushing resources into finding vaccines and more than 100 are in development.

It was  originally proposed in March in order to provide a one-stop shop for scientific knowledge, data and intellectual property amid a pandemic.

General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director said “WHO recognises the important role that patents play in fueling innovation but this is a time when people must take priority”

The WHO issued a “Solidarity Call to Action”, asking other stakeholders to join the voluntary push. It promotes a one-size-fits all model that disregards the specific circumstances of each situation, each product and each country