-The Hindu Current price negotiated through bulk orders may not be replicable: Finance Secy The first lot of Vaccines were procured by the Centre using PM CARES funds at a higher rate than the subsequent rounds paid for by budgetary allocations, The Hindu has learnt from the response to a Right to Information request by a transparency activist. The Health Ministry response said that the initial 5.6 crore doses of Covishield were bought...

-The Indian Express The United States will pursue negotiations at WTO to waive intellectual property for Covid-19 Vaccines. This can allow large-scale production in middle-income countries, but there are arguments against the move. The United States on Wednesday announced support for waiving intellectual property protection for Covid-19 Vaccines, saying extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the US will pursue “text-based negotiations” on the waiver at...

-The Indian Express A waiver on IP protections would mean pharmaceutical firms and vaccine makers across the world can learn how to make these Vaccines without fear of lawsuits from companies that originally developed them. In a move that could potentially help increase production of Covid-19 Vaccines around the world, the United States on Wednesday announced its support for waiving intellectual property (IP) protections for these Vaccines. Subsequently, the European Union (EU) agreed...

-The Hindu Delhi High Court pushes back, saying that the government should review its resistance at such a time The Central government should review its resistance to exempting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) levied on oxygen concentrators imported for personal use, the Delhi High Court observed on Thursday after the Finance Ministry conveyed its inability to accept the Court’s order issued on Wednesday. Late on Thursday, the Delhi High Court appointed senior...

-The Hindu The news will support the increased production of Vaccines globally as countries, including India, continue to reel under the impact of the pandemic. The United States will support an initiative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) protection for COVID-19 Vaccines, the Biden administration said on Wednesday. The news will support the increased production of Vaccines globally as countries, including India, continue to...