By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 05, 2021: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Thursday told South African President Mr Matemela Cyril Ramaphosa that India will mobilise its productive capacity for pharmaceuticals and vaccines to serve the needs of all countries.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said during a phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the continuing challenges posed by the pandemic, and in this context the vaccination campaigns being undertaken in their respective countries.

"Spoke to President Cyril Ramaphosa about the measures India and South Africa are taking to fight the COVID-19 pandemic domestically and internationally. India's capacity to produce medicines and vaccines is supporting the efforts of many nations, including our friends in Africa," PM Modi later said on Twitter.

The two leaders also discussed possibilities of collaboration between India and South Africa in various international fora to facilitate access and affordability of vaccines and medicines.

India and South Africa's proposal to temporarily suspending Intellectual Property (IP) rules related to the COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has met vehement opposition from the US, UK and European Union nations.

India and South Africa had approached the WTO in October calling on it to waive parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) to ensure "timely access to affordable medical products including vaccines and medicines or to scaling-up of research, development, manufacturing and supply of medical products essential to combat COVID-19."

The opposition, some of whom have been accused of "vaccine nationalism," argued the suspension of patents, industrial designs, copyright and protection of undisclosed information would stifle innovation at pharmaceutical companies.