Vietnamese minister calls for COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat has called for a waiver of patents on COVID-19 vaccines in order to expand and accelerate manufacturing on a global scale.

The virtual roundtable at the Science and Technology in Society Forum
The virtual roundtable at the Science and Technology in Society Forum

Dat spoke during a roundtable at the annual Science and Technology in Society Forum hosted virtually by Japan.

The Vietnamese minister also underlined the necessity to create platforms to share patent information, scientific papers, data, and research instruments to help developing countries have access to and catch up with global scientific and technological development trends.

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting unprecedented challenges to humanity, requiring extraordinary measures.

Minister Dat said from the experience of Vietnam that to ensure early and equal access to COVID-19 vaccine, it is necessary to fast-track peer reviews, encourage experimentation and accept failures while also promoting the spirit of open science and innovation.

At the conference, participants discussed measures to deal with global challenges as well as promote sustainable socio-economic development based on science and technology.

They also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in coping with the pandemic towards ensuring rapid and equal access to vaccines, drugs and treatment methods as well as managing possible risks due to new variants.