Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of a TRIPs waiver on innovation taking into account the contribution of public funding to the development of the Oxford/Astrazeneca and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines; and if she will make a statement.

HM Government has invested 90 million pounds into AstraZeneca’s vaccine development. Investment like this has resulted in 2.5 billion AstraZeneca vaccines being delivered at cost to more than 170 countries, with two thirds going to lower- and middle-income countries. It is because of the legal framework provided by TRIPS that Government and innovators will continue to have the confidence to invest in developing health products and technologies. We must ensure the framework retains its ability to continue doing this. An IP rights waiver would undermine these efforts.