NEW EXPLOITATION STRATEGY OF IP
IN THE POST COVID-19 ERA
EGYPTIP Collegium
March 10, 2022
Online Meeting
Ms. Noha Afifii
Manger-Center of Innovative
Technology (CINTECH)
Egypt-Japan University of
Science and technology(E-JUST)

Egypt-Covid-19 Overview• The virus was conﬁrmed to havereached Egypt on 14 February
2020.
• There havebeen 490,969 infections
and 24,197 coronavirus-related
deaths reported in the country
since the pandemic began.
• COVID-19 infections aredecreasing in Egypt,with 1,245 new infections
reported on average each day.

• Egypt has started COVID-19
vaccine rollouts in March 2021

Almost 30% of the population are fully vaccinated,Another 10 % received 1st doset

Recently introduced state measuresconcerning public life
• Egypt imposes a vaccine mandate

for all government workers anduniversity students.
• From Dec. 1, 2021 theproof-of-vaccination requirement isalso extend to anyone seeking toenter a government building toaccess government services.

Enough vaccine for this measure?

Estimate Overview of Vaccine Availability in Egypt
DateCountrySinopharm

10 December2020

CHINA

50,000 doses

31 January
2021.

EU

50,000 doses

6 August 2021

Romania

525,000 doses

October 2021

USA

8.25 million doses

25 December
2021

USA

1.5 million doses

30 December
2021

CHINA

1 January 2022

USA-AstraZeneca

Pfizer-BioNTech

347,460 doses
1.5 million doses

Egypt has been allocated a total of 4.5 million doses of AstraZeneca
vaccine through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).

Can we and should we survive on Donations?

Egypt’s Trial to Vaccine
Availability

1. Chinese Technology Transfer

Egypt working with China's Sinovac toboost vaccine production in region• Egypt has held talks with Chinese company Sinovac on boosting local production
and development of vaccines, and the transfer of manufacturing technology.
• Egypt has been producing the Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine since summer
2021 at its VACSERA factory for domestic use as well as export to Africa.
• VACSERA is the Egyptian holding company for biological products & vaccines andis the only producer of vaccines & sera in Egypt, is one of the main blood banks.it isthe oldest manufacturer of vaccines in Africa and the middle east.
• Sinovac and VACSERA already have a cooperation agreement for joint vaccine
production signed in April last year, according to which the Sinovac vaccines are
locally manufactured in VACSERA's factory in Egypt, with the ﬁnal product carrying
the VACSERA-Sinovac label.

Egypt working with Chinas Sinovac
to boost vaccine production inregion- Cont.
-The vaccine agreement between China and Egypt covers the transfer ofproduction and manufacturing technology to enable Egypt to produce
Covid-19 vaccine from start to ﬁnish locally.

-This involves a delegation of Chinese experts working with VACSERA in Egypt
for three weeks to produce the ﬁrst batch of the vaccine.

-Egypt started mass production of Sinovac/VACSERA in August 2021.

-Egypt’s private sector company Minapharm also signed an agreement in2021 with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to locally produce Russia’sSputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

2.WHO &Medicine Patent Pool
Technology Transfer

The mRNA vaccine TechnologyTransfer Hub• The mRNA vaccine Technology Transfer Hub was established in response of theﬂagrant inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines in low- and middle-incomecountries, especially in Africa.

• Six African countries – Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia– had been chosen to produce mRNA vaccines (which is used in manufacturing
Pﬁzer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines) after receiving thetechnology from the WHO’s global mRNA vaccine hub.

• Formally established in July 2021, the purpose of the hub is to increase accessto mRNA vaccines made closer to home by establishing manufacturing capacity
using a technology transfer hub model to ensure sustainable vaccine security infuture pandemics, ensuring that they have all the necessary operatingprocedures and know-how to manufacture mRNA vaccines at scale andaccording to international standards.

The mRNA vaccine Technology
Transfer Hub -Cont.
• It was established primarily to address the COVID-19 emergency,

but the hub intends to expand the manufacture of other vaccines
for other priority diseases as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV• The technology transfer hub is beneﬁtting from MPP’s experienceof intellectual property management and issuing of voluntary
licences. Medicine Patent Pool ((MPP) also assists WHO in
negotiating with technical partners and in the governance of theHub.

What do we actually Need• Temporary abandonment of intellectual property protections for

vaccines in the ﬁght against the pandemic vs Voluntary licensing is
the best way to ensure the necessary technology transfer.
• rejection of patents related to COVID-19 medical tools.

• Patent-holding companies should refrain from seeking or enforcing

patents on COVID-19 medical tools and should share theirtechnologies to enable increased manufacturing and greater
access.