Covid, Hope: “Yes to public use of patents in an emergency”

“With an amendment approved in the House, in the event of a health emergency, it will be possible to publicly use a patent or other intellectual property rights for drugs or devices that become essential. It is a right step that puts people’s lives ahead at all”. So on Facebook the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, after yesterday’s approval of an amendment to the Simplification Decree on the subject of compulsory licenses.

The amendment

“After months of battles, today (yesterday, ed.) In the Budget Committee we have achieved an extraordinary result that can mark a turning point in the production of vaccines and in the fight against Covid-19: an amendment to my first signature to the Simplification Decree has been approved. , reformulated by the Government and therefore with the political agreement of the entire majority, which introduces in Italy the instrument of compulsory licenses for certain medicines and medical devices in the event of a national emergency. In essence, the Government will be able to oblige the holders of a patent or other rights exclusively to grant use to the State or to other subjects “. This was declared yesterday by the deputy and former Minister of Health, Giulia Grillo, speaking at the conference in the Chamber of Deputies entitled ‘Compulsory licenses, is Italy ready?’ in which, among others, the pharmacologist Silvio Garattini participated.

“It is a topic on which I have worked a lot – continues Grillo – a formidable tool to defend the right to health without damaging the right to intellectual property. The formula found is balanced and limits its use. Moreover, we are particularly proud of the result achieved, and for this we should also thank the group leader Davide Crippa who supported this battle, because the goal was already included in the electoral program of the 5 Star Movement that I contributed to write. These battles are fought not for the electoral consensus but because they are right “, he concludes.

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