jabs lose efficacy over time and only prevent severe disease and hospitalization. More efficacious “pan-corona" vaccines are still needed to tackle variants and prevent infection itself, said K.M.
Gopakumar, a senior researcher at Third World Network. Better therapeutic options could also enter the market, he added. From a trickle in 2020 to a possible deluge in the covid drug pipeline in 2022, over 85 antivirals and treatments are in late-stage trials, according to data from a tracker maintained by BIO, a US-based trade association of biotechnology companies.
A greater waiver could speed up access as new vaccines and cheaper generic options emerge. Covax gambit IP waivers are crucial because the charity model the world has depended on so far—in which higher-income countries donate crucial health products to poorer nations—is “unsustainable" for future pandemics, experts said.
Take Covax, for instance. The programme was launched with much fanfare in April 2020 to ensure equitable access to covid-19 vaccines irrespective of a country’s ability to pay.