Bottles of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz / Bloomberg
Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz / Bloomberg
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE offered to supply South Africa with its Covid-19 vaccine at a discount of $ 10 a dose, but the president’s office still described the cost as prohibitive, according to a person familiar with the talks.
The price was calculated according to South Africa’s status as a middle-income country and is about half the value of pharmaceutical companies. charging in the United States, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information was not released. Account was also taken of the fact that companies are running a vaccine trial in the country, the person said.
A spokeswoman for the South African Department of Health said the ministry could not comment on prices as the deal had not yet been concluded. Representatives from Pfizer and BioNTech in Europe declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations, although they said they are “firmly committed to equitable and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines for people around the world, including South Africa”
The South African government is under increasing pressure from its union allies, opposition parties and medical professionals because of its failure to secure any bilateral vaccine supply agreement with pharmaceutical companies. While at least 29 countries have started to inoculate their populations, South Africa expects to start receiving vaccines for about 10% of its population in the second quarter. This deal was done through the Covax initiative, which aims to ensure that the poorest countries can guarantee access.
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The country had 1.1 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and about 30,000 deaths, the highest number of any African nation.
In a statement sent to Bloomberg News on Sunday, the South African presidency said Pfizer is one of at least three companies with which the government is in talks to supply shots. He also said that Pfizer offered 50 million doses to healthcare professionals across Africa that can arrive between March and the end of the year.
“The factors that will be taken into account include suitability for the South African context,” said the presidency, noting that the Pfizer vaccine requires ultra-cold storage. “The cost is also prohibitive.”
Tyrone Seale, acting spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, declined to comment further.
– With the help of Naomi Kresge
(Updates with comment from Pfizer in the third paragraph)