Vaccine Apartheid: Ramaphosa Laments Africa’s Lack Of Vaccine Manufacturing Capacity

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA|

TWENTY years ago, South Africa was the site of victory in a lawsuit that pitted public good against private profit. 
 
At the time, we were in the grip of the HIV/Aids pandemic, and sought to enforce a law allowing us to import and manufacture affordable generic antiretroviral medication to treat people with HIV and save lives. 
         
In response, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry sued our government, arguing that such a move violated the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). This is a comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property. 
 
The case, dubbed ‘Big Pharma vs Mandela’, drew widespread international attention. The lawsuit was dropped in 2001 after massive opposition by government and civil society. 
 
As a country, we stood on principle, arguing that access to life-saving medication was fundamentally a matter of human rights. The case affirmed the power