Waive IPR rules for Covid drugs: India, SA to WTO

India and South Africa want the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property rules to make it easier for developing countries to produce or import Covid-19 drugs. In a letter to the WTO, the two countries called on the global trade body to waive parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which governs patents, trademarks, copyright and other intellectual property rules globally. The letter posted on WTO website states that there are significant concerns over how vaccine will be made available promptly, in sufficient quantities and at an affordable price to meet global demand.