Editing Protectionism (section)

====Access to essential medicines====
One of the most visible conflicts over TRIPS has been [[AIDS]] drugs in [[AIDS in Africa|Africa]]. Despite the role that patents have played in maintaining higher drug costs for public health programs across Africa, this controversy has not led to a revision of TRIPS. Instead, an interpretive statement, the [[Doha Declaration on the TRIPS agreement and public health|Doha Declaration]], was issued in November 2001, which indicated that TRIPS should not prevent states from dealing with public health crises and allowed for [[compulsory license]]s. After Doha, [[PhRMA]], the United States and to a lesser extent other developed nations began working to minimize the effect of the declaration.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Timmermann, Cristian|author2=Henk van den Belt|date=2013|title=Intellectual property and global health: from corporate social responsibility to the access to knowledge movement|journal=Liverpool Law Review|volume=34|issue=1|pages=47–73|doi=10.1007/s10991-013-9129-9|s2cid=145492036|url=http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/438139|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=23 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623091949/https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/438139|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, conflicts re-emerged over patents, copyrights and trade secrets related to [[COVID-19 vaccine]]s, diagnostics and treatments. [[South Africa]] and [[India]] proposed that WTO grant a temporary waiver to enable more widespread production of the vaccines, since suppressing the virus as quickly as possible benefits the entire world.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nebehay|first=Emma Farge, Stephanie|date=2020-12-10|title=WTO delays decision on waiver on COVID-19 drug, vaccine rights|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-wto-idUSKBN28K2WL|access-date=2021-02-25|archive-date=28 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228221930/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-wto-idUSKBN28K2WL|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Members to continue discussion on proposal for temporary IP waiver in response to COVID-19|url=https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news20_e/trip_10dec20_e.htm|access-date=2021-02-25|publisher=World Trade Organisation|language=en|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227121050/https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news20_e/trip_10dec20_e.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The waivers would be in addition to the existing, but cumbersome, flexibilities in TRIPS allowing countries to impose compulsory licenses.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Baker|first1=Brook K.|last2=Labonte|first2=Ronald|title=Dummy's guide to how trade rules affect access to COVID-19 vaccines|url=http://theconversation.com/dummys-guide-to-how-trade-rules-affect-access-to-covid-19-vaccines-152897|access-date=2021-02-25|website=The Conversation|date=9 January 2021 |language=en|archive-date=23 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223131044/https://theconversation.com/dummys-guide-to-how-trade-rules-affect-access-to-covid-19-vaccines-152897|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-16|title=An Unnecessary Proposal: A WTO Waiver of Intellectual Property Rights for COVID-19 Vaccines|url=https://www.cato.org/free-trade-bulletin/unnecessary-proposal-wto-waiver-intellectual-property-rights-covid-19-vaccines|access-date=2021-02-25|publisher=Cato Institute|language=en|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225100812/https://www.cato.org/free-trade-bulletin/unnecessary-proposal-wto-waiver-intellectual-property-rights-covid-19-vaccines|url-status=live}}</ref> Over 100 developing nations supported the waiver but it was blocked by the G7 members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/02/g7-leaders-are-shooting-themselves-in-the-foot-by-failing-to-tackle-global-vaccine-access/|title=G7 leaders are shooting themselves in the foot by failing to tackle global vaccine access|publisher=Amnesty International|date=2021-02-19|access-date=2021-04-25}}</ref> This blocking was condemned by 400 organizations including [[Doctors Without Borders]] and 115 members of the [[European Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/1/can-a-waiver-on-ip-rights-solve-vaccine|title=Patently unfair: Can waivers help solve COVID vaccine inequality?|first=Virginia|last=Pietromarchi|work=Al Jazeera|date=2021-03-01|access-date=2021-04-26}}</ref> In June 2022, after extensive involvement of the [[European Union]], the WTO instead adopted a watered-down agreement that focuses only on vaccine patents, excludes high-income countries and China, and contains few provisions that are not covered by existing flexibilities.<ref>{{cite web |title=TRIPS Waiver {{!}} Covid-19 Response |url=https://covid19response.org/trips-waiver/ |website=covid19response.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WTO finally agrees on a TRIPS deal. But not everyone is happy |url=https://www.devex.com/news/wto-finally-agrees-on-a-trips-deal-but-not-everyone-is-happy-103476 |website=Devex |language=en |date=17 June 2022}}</ref>