Report: In secret vaccine contracts with governments, Pfizer Put Profits Before Health
I’m just surprised the media is covering this. Truth in a newspaper? I’m confused.
The Manhattan-based pharmaceutical giant has maintained tight levels of secrecy about negotiations with governments, over contracts that can determine the fate of populations. The “contracts consistently place Pfizer’s interests before public health imperatives,” said Zain Rizvi, the researcher who wrote the report.
Public Citizen found common themes across contacts, including not only secrecy, but also language to block donations of Pfizer dose. Disputes are settled in secret arbitration courts, with Pfizer able to change the terms of key decisions, including delivery dates, and demand public assets as collateral.
Sharon Castillo, a spokesperson for Pfizer, said that confidentiality causes were “standard in commercial contracts” and “intended to help build trust between the parties, as well as protect the confidential commercial information exchanged during negotiations and included in final contracts.”
Both Pfizer and Moderna, another U.S. company that developed a vaccine using breakthrough mRNA technology, are facing pressure from critics who accuse them of building a “duopoly.” Though Pfizer did not accept government funding through Operation Warp Speed, it received huge advance orders from the United States. It opposed an intellectual property waiver that could have meant the sharing of its technology.