He said the Swiss government would not agree to a full waiver of the rights but it was willing to continue discussions.
Parmelin was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO)External link in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday as the conference was extended by one day to reach a consensus on changes to global trade rules.
“It’s not part of Switzerland’s policy to leave a discussion,” Parmelin was quoted as saying by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
He added that it was in nobody’s interest to block negotiations and some of the 164 WTO member states were holding their cards close to their chests.
Nevertheless, Parmelin said a deal was still possible, but he dismissed a proposal by non-governmental organisations for a temporary waiver of IP rights.
Any departure from basic principles in the IP rights was inacceptable for Switzerland’s pharmaceutical industry, he explained.
India, South Africa and other developing countries have sought exceptions for vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for more than a year, but they came up against opposition from Switzerland and Britain. Both countries have major pharmaceutical producers.
The WTO ministerial meeting, originally due to end on Wednesday, is the first major conference in four years.
More
More
Will WTO break deadlock in next major meeting?
This content was published on
The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), postponed twice due to Covid, will finally take place from Sunday in Geneva.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
COP29: Swiss NGOs call for strong financial support
This content was published on
Ahead of COP29, Swiss NGOs call for wealthy nations to pay $1,000 billion a year to help other countries solve climate problems.
Real Swiss wages likely to rise in 2025, says UBS bank
This content was published on
Higher wages and falling inflation are likely to boost Swiss purchasing power, which will be dragged back by rising health premiums.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new tectonic map at a scale of 1:500,000, containing updates to geometry, distribution and nomenclature of the tectonic units.
This content was published on
Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri, known for his artworks using leftover food with dirty cutlery and crockery, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 94.
Climate change tipped to alter Swiss avalanche patterns by 2100
This content was published on
Climate change is expected to result in fewer avalanches overall in Switzerland but to increase the danger of wet snow avalanches by 2100.
Swiss open to compromise in Covid vaccine talks at WTO
This content was published on
Switzerland is open to compromise in talks on the IP rights of Covid-19 vaccines and drugs at the World Trade Organization.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.