News of a tentative TRIPS waiver compromise, allegedly penned by a group of four countries – the United States, the European Union, South Africa and India, was published just around the time when the world was entering the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The text was hailed by some as an important breakthrough for boosting vaccine equity, yet most agree that the document is completely inadequate to respond to actual needs. At the same time, the EU continues to influence drugs policies in Africa by pushing for the establishment of an African Medicines Agency. Judging from information that is currently available, the move could easily hinder access instead of making the process of drug regulation more simple and navigable for countries in the region.
In a video interview, Yogesh Jain and Sarah Nabia, co-editors of the book Covid-19: A view from the margins, told us about the importance of recording people’s personal stories and experiences from the margins for building a more complete picture of the pandemic.
To know more about these topics and other stories on pharmaceutical company Moderna’s patents, struggle for reproductive rights in Colombia, repression of women health workers in conflict regions, world legal map on abortion and struggles of health workers, click here.
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