After Belgium leak, KJ says 'very happy' with Pfizer vaccine deal

 

After Belgian Secretary of State Eva De Bleeker disclosed the 12 euros (RM59.43) price that the country is paying for Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin hinted that Malaysia has gotten a better deal.

In a press conference today, Khairy said he is very happy with the price offered by Pfizer to Malaysia.

"I want to be as transparent as possible. I want to tell Malaysians that I am very happy with the price we got from Pfizer, if I can speak about it (the price) now.

"Even based on the so-called leak about the EU price, I'm even happier about the price that we got. That's a huge hint already, I'm close to very close to breaching the non-disclosure agreement (inked between Malaysia and Pfizer)," he said.

He said this after the opposition raised concern over the RM3 billion allocation for the government to purchase the Covid-19 vaccine.

Khairy also revealed that the government will spend RM2.05 billion to inoculate 26.5 million people or 82.8 percent of the population.

The cost includes the three agreements inked with theCovid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (Covax), Pfizer and AstraZeneca, together with agreements with three other companies that are being finalised.

For AstraZeneca, he said the pharmaceutical company agreed to sell its vaccine at cost.

Khairy said Malaysia has also negotiated an option with Pfizer, which if exercised, would double Malaysia’s order from the company.

This is in case some vendors fail to deliver their vaccines, for example, if it failed to meet the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency’s standards or if they run into manufacturing difficulties.

For the record, Malaysia has signed an agreement to purchase 12.8 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, while could be enough for 6.4 million people or 20 percent of Malaysia’s 32 million population.

Previously, De Bleeker tweeted documents showing the number of doses and price per dose of each vaccine being purchased by Belgium, prompting protests from Pfizer. The tweet has since been deleted.

Reuters, meanwhile, had quoted internal documents stating the EU is paying 15.50 euros (RM76.70) for each dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine requires a two-dose regimen to be effective.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, quoted the think tank Bernstein Research and the Belgian leak stating that the US is paying US$19.50 (RM79.20) for the Pfizer vaccine.

The report noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine is substantially cheaper at US$4 (RM16.25) per dose in the US and US$2.19 (RM8.90) per dose in the EU.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the government has no qualms about disclosing the price of each vaccine being purchased by Malaysia, but is bound by non-disclosure agreements that are being imposed by pharmaceutical companies on governments around the world.

He reiterated his willingness to present Malaysia’s vaccine procurements to the Public Accounts Committee, for scrutiny, if the PAC is willing to abide with the non-disclosure agreements as well.

As for the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines expected in February, Khairy said Pfizer is still investigating whether its vaccine could protect against the new Covid-19 strain that has emerged in the UK and is believed to be more transmissible.

If it proves ineffective, he said, the company would need six weeks to make adjustments to the vaccine.

Khairy also gave his assurance that Malaysia would insist that it receives the latest version of the vaccine. - Mkini