Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Wednesday agreed to launch discussions on patent waiver for Covid-related vaccines, drugs and devices, amid indications that the talks will be fast-tracked. At a meeting of a key WTO panel looking into the issue, India suggested that detailed deliberations should begin next week with an intent to clinch a deal by the end of July, sources said. Although the European Union, the UK and Switzerland reiterated their opposition, they agreed to join text-based talks, for which a draft has been shared. Japan, Brazil, Australia, Canada and several others agreed to join the discussions to work out a method for implementing the waiver on intellectual property rights as well as its time frame. The agreement is, however, limited to negotiations. Norwegian ambassador to the WTO Dagfinn Sørli, who chairs the TRIPS Council that will work out the details, recognised the persisting differences, although member countries have agreed to negotiate. He suggested that a report be submitted to trade ministers from WTO countries, who will meet next month, setting an informal deadline of sorts. Indian officials said that they will engage with all countries to negotiate each proposal. Since WTO is driven by consensus, even one of the 164 member countries can block a decision. The other concern is the coverage of the waiver – whether it will include only vaccines or it will extend to medicines, therapies and devices, along with raw material and inputs as well as technology, to contain the spread of Coronavirus.