India and South Africa have written to World Trade Organisation (WTO) asking its TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) council to recommend a waiver on the Intellectual Property rules to its top decision-making body (General Council).

The waiver is expected to make it easier for the countries to produce or import COVID-19 drugs.

The letter, which is posted on the Geneva-based WTO's website, says, "As new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are developed, there are significant concerns (over) how these will be made available promptly, in sufficient quantities and at (an) affordable price to meet global demand."

The two countries, in their letter, also mentioned that the developing countries are disproportionately affected by the pandemic and that IP rights, including patents, could be a barrier to the availability of affordable medicine in both the countries.