Vials containing 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 their Covid-19 vaccine at a reduced dose of $ 10 per dose, but the president’s office still described the cost as prohibitive, according to a person familiar with the talks .
The price is calculated based on South Africa’s status as a middle income country and is about half of what the drug manufacturers are charging in the US, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information has not been made public. It was also taken into account that the companies are conducting a vaccine trial in the country, the person said.
A spokeswoman for the South African Ministry of Health said the ministry cannot comment on the pricing as a deal has yet to be closed. Representatives from Pfizer and BioNTech in Europe declined to comment on the ongoing talks, saying they are “committed to providing fair and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines for people around the world, including South Africa.”
The South African government is coming under increasing pressure from its trade unions, opposition parties and medical professionals for its failure to negotiate bilateral vaccine supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies. While at least 29 countries have already started inoculating their populations, South Africa does not expect to get any shots to about 10% of the population until the second quarter. That deal came about through the Covax initiative, which aims to ensure that poorer countries can gain access.
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The country has 1.1 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and is approaching 30,000 deaths, the largest of any African country.
In a statement sent to Bloomberg News on Sunday, the South African presidency states said Pfizer was one of at least three companies with which the government is negotiating for the supply of shots. It also said Pfizer has offered 50 million doses to health professionals across Africa that could arrive between March and the end of the year.
Factors that will be taken into account include suitability for the South African context, the presidency said, noting that the Pfizer vaccine requires ultra-cold storage. “The costs are also prohibitive.”
Tyrone Seale, acting spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, declined to comment further.
– With the help of Naomi Kresge
(Updates with Pfizer commentary in third paragraph)