WTO close to finalizing deal on COVID vaccines IP waiver - Reuters
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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is close to finalizing a deal that would temporarily waive intellectual property rights related to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, Reuters reports.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the news service that a few items are still being ironed out.

Although a draft compromise was reached about a month ago, the four negotiators to the deal -- the United States, European Union, India, and South Africa -- have been under pressure from groups to reject the deal.
India and South Africa have been pushing for a broader waiver of rights.
Even if the compromise is agreed to by the four negotiating countries, it would still need to win approval from the the WTO's 164 members.
COVID-19 vaccine makers: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (BNTX), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), AstraZeneca (AZN), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX).
In May 2021, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai expressed support for waiving IP protections for COVID vaccines.