💊 Compulsory licensing is a legal measure that is taken by a jurisdiction for suspending patents on a product when a dire situation calls for it, such as a pandemic. Just last year, Malaysia had been praised by international medical communities and governments for invoking compulsory licensing to enable access to an affordable version of sofosbuvir, a drug for the chronic disease hepatitis C. At the same time, Malaysia was pressured with a possibility of sanctioning by the US because they believed the move to be a violation to the boundaries of American intellectual property.

📰 Like all medical monopolies by the Big Pharmas, there is every possibility that a Covid-19 vaccine will be encumbered with multiple patents. This may render treatments inaccessible due to high treatment costs, especially in low-income countries. However, more countries are taking bold steps in dealing with monopoly control over medical treatments by invoking compulsory licensing of patents in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Several Big Pharmas had also given into pressures for releasing their intellectual property rights over potential treatments for a public good.

ℹ️ Further reading:
https://www.thestar.com.my/
https://msfaccess.org/
https://www.keionline.org/
https://news.northeastern.edu/
https://www.france24.com/