Un Informe de The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), A London-based non-profit news organization, in association with Ojo Público, a Lima-based news outlet, He exposed the strong demands imposed by the American giant Pfizer on the Latin American countries.
According to the investigation, the company has requested from some countries To place their sovereign assets, such as embassy buildings, military bases, and central bank reserves, as collateral against the cost of future legal cases.
The study reveals a three-month delay in agreeing to purchase this vaccine in one of the countries in the region, while in the case of Argentina s Brazil No agreement was reached. In case PeruPfizer requested inclusion of clauses that reduce the company’s liability for potential negative impacts during the negotiation process.
The nation’s former health minister, Guinness Gonzalez Garcia, has warned of this situation on frequent occasions. At the end of December he announced: “We don’t understand why Pfizer has so many immunity and prevention requirements, as if it doesn’t believe in the vaccine.” Despite the continuous attempts by the government Alberto FernandezThe company did not want to accept the Argentine management’s proposals and no agreement was reached.
“We offered to pay millions of doses up front, we accepted this international insurance, but the last request was exceptional: Pfizer demanded that the sovereign assets of Argentina also form part of the legal support.”Argentine official admitted to the office.
The published report reveals that officials from Argentina and another Latin American country have provided details of the company’s negotiators They demanded additional compensation against any civil lawsuit that citizens can file if they suffer negative effects after vaccination. In the case of Argentina and Brazil, sovereign assets were required to be placed as collateral to cover potential future legal costs.
In Peru, it was required to include not only clauses exempting the pharmaceutical company from liability for the potential adverse effects of the vaccine, but also for delays in the delivery of batches, as well as implementing all legal regulations necessary to comply with the provider’s obligations against lawsuits and future damages.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country considered these requests ‘Extremism’ And completely different from other Coronavirus vaccine developers. Along the same lines, other testimonials speak to Pfizer commands such as ‘Intimidation at a high level’ And kind of “blackmail” To get vaccinated.
With regard to other vaccine requirements, officials from the government of Argentina and the country that requested anonymity in the investigation indicated that they felt that Pfizer’s requests exceeded other manufacturers and exceeded the terms of Covax, an organization created to ensure that low-income countries have access to vaccines.
Lawrence JustinThis was stated by the Director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law “Pharmaceutical companies should not use their power to curtail life-saving vaccines in low- and middle-income countries.”, While stating that “it looks like it’s exactly what they’re doing”, referring to Pfizer.
The pharmaceutical company has held talks with more than 100 countries and supranational organizations, and has supply agreements with nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay. . The terms of those agreements are unknown.
Pfizer word
The report claims that Pfizer promoted A. Additional compensation from civil action, which means that the company will not be responsible for the rare negative effects caused by its vaccine, acts of negligence, fraud or malice. “ This includes those related to company practices such as whether Pfizer shipped the wrong vaccine or made errors during manufacturing. “
the doctor. Mark Ecclestone Turner, A professor of global health law at Keele University said that Pfizer and other manufacturers have received government funding to research and develop vaccines, warning that “it is trying to get the maximum benefit and reduce its risks in every critical situation with the development of this vaccine, then its launch.”
In the face of the allegations, the office contacted the pharmaceutical company, which refused to talk about the private negotiations underway, but commented, “All over the world, doses have been allocated to low-income and lower-middle-income countries at a zero-profit price, including an advance purchase agreement with Covax. To supply up to 40 million doses in 2021. ‘
“We are committed to supporting efforts to provide developing countries with the same access to vaccines as the rest of the world,” they added.
