Sánchez announces the liberalization of the patent of the CSIC antibody tests so that countries in need arrive
Pedro Sánchez has made a plea in favor of "sharing knowledge" in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. "A consensus can be reached for the temporary exemption of intellectual protection," he said about the instruments to combat the coronavirus during an event organized in Moncloa on the donation of vaccines - of which the Government has already delivered 30 of the 50 million of committed doses- in which he has taken the opportunity to put Spain as an example. The president has announced that the CSIC has reached an agreement with the UN Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) so that the antibody tests developed by the Spanish public science center reach "the countries most in need."
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The alliance It will consist of the CSIC placing in the hands of the United Nations department the "technology" of these tests, which have a reliability close to 100% and which allows distinguishing whether the antibodies come from the vaccine or from having been in contact with the disease . The MPP will be in charge of manufacturing the tests so that they reach the destinations, which will be underdeveloped or developing countries in line with the donation of vaccines that rich countries are carrying out.
"The fair and equitable distribution is key", has expressed Sánchez in that act in which, in addition to defending that knowledge is shared, he has opted to "accelerate distribution." The president has insisted that these are some of the lessons learned from the pandemic as well as from the need for "universal health coverage" and to strengthen public health systems. He has also emphasized the "fundamental role of science and research that have made it possible to have a vaccine in record time." "Vaccines work and the more people are vaccinated, the less opportunities the virus will have to spread," he said.
That is an idea that has been defended by all the intervening parties, including the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom. That institution has set as a goal that 40% of the world's population is vaccinated by the end of the year and that the percentage increases to 70% by mid-2022. "We will not be safe until everyone is safe," he said. the European Commissioner for International Associations, Jutta Urpilainen, who congratulated Spain for its "solidarity" as it is the fifth country in the world to donate vaccines and the third in Europe. "Sharing vaccines is more than an act of cooperation, it is a strategy to combat the virus, it is an act of public health," said the director of the Spanish Medicines Agency, María Jesús Llamas.
"You can lead national vaccination and lead the global one at the same time. We can be proud," said Sánchez, who acknowledged that "this fight is not over," as demonstrated not only by the low global vaccination data but also by the booster dose that Spain will authorize for people over 60 and health personnel. He has also asked citizens to maintain the degree of "responsibility" they have had so far with the vaccination and the use of the mask.
