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WTO Chief: Pharma Needs To 'Lift The Veil Of Opaqueness' In COVID-19 Vaccine Contracts

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

WTO director general says pharma could have done more on voluntary licensing for COVID-19 vaccines and also calls for better transparency of pricing and contracts to ensure “a level playing field” when it comes to saving lives.

WTO
WTO Chief Says Pharma Could have Done More In Licensing Of Vaccines • Source: Alamy

Pharma could have accelerated voluntary licensing efforts for COVID-19 vaccines and perhaps helped avoid the entire simmering controversy over intellectual property waivers, the head of the World Trade Organization indicated at the BIO Digital annual meeting.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the WTO, said that while industry had played a “fabulous role” in the speedy development of technology and vaccines, it clearly could

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