Please join CSIS's Renewing American Innovation for a timely conversation on intellectual property and healthcare innovation in the Covid-19 era. No aspect of modern life has escaped renewed scrutiny during this once in a century global pandemic, including the decades-old debate around intellectual property rights and vital medicines. As vaccine-producing nations rapidly carry out unprecedented vaccination efforts, some have called for exempting Covid-19 technologies from intellectual property rights as a means to improve global access to these life-saving tools. The IP waiver, which was recently brought before the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been advocated by India, South Africa, and 50 other nations. To date, the U.S., European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, and Switzerland have opposed the waiver, citing this push as an excuse to weaken the mechanisms that led to the miraculous development of these vaccines in the first place. As some in Congress have urged President Biden to support the waiver, the global debate rages on.
This event features a keynote address from Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), followed by a panel of industry representatives and trade experts. This timely conversation will delve into all facets of the debate, addressing the importance of IP for medical innovations, while also discussing the WTO's almost 30 year-old Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and what it means in the age of Covid-19.
Welcoming Statement
John J. Hamre, President and CEO, and Langone Chair in American Leadership, CSIS
Keynote Address
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), U.S Senator, Delaware
Featuring:
Jayashree Watal, Former Counsellor for Intellectual Property, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Robert DeBerardine, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Johnson & Johnson
Bryan Zielinski, Chief Patent Counsel, Pfizer
Earl “Eb” Bright, President and General Counsel, ExploraMed
Moderated by
Andrei Iancu, Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Renewing American Innovation
This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.
