Philippines negotiated a fair price for the Sinovac vaccine –Galvez

The Philippine government is currently negotiating with the vaccine manufacturers at cheaper prices than what is prevailing in the market, vaccine czar and National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Saturday.

“I can assure you that the price of Indonesia and the price of the others will be almost, hindi po nagkakalayo,” Galvez said in a statement.

The vaccine czar made the statement to dispel information circulating online that the Philippines is procuring the Sinovac vaccine at P3,600, which is significantly higher than the price released by the Indonesian government for the same vaccine brand at $13.57 or P651 for the procurement of 160 million doses.

“I can assure you that in our negotiation, the prices relative to our neighbors are fair and considered the best price,” Galvez said.

However, he did not disclose the government’s negotiated price.

Galvez explained that the national government cannot disclose it yet so as not to hamper the ongoing negotiations, as well as harm the deals with other vaccine companies.

The vaccine czar committed that all prices will be available to the public in due time.

He said the vaccines to be procured by the Philippine government are secured through multilateral arrangements with fund managers such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB).

According to Galvez, with these fund managers, the country can be assured of more strict and transparent documentation when it comes to procurement.

“We assure the public that it (vaccine procurement) will undergo strict [procedure] considering that all our vaccine procurement will undergo ADB and WB stringent regulatory requirements,” he said.

At present, at least 80% of the global vaccine supply has been preordered by the vaccines’ countries of origin.

The two percent has been secured under the COVAX Facility, while the remaining 18% is now up for grabs by developing countries such as the Philippines.

The tripartite method, which is a first-of-its-kind deal in the world, will help the country secure its vaccine requirement.

Under such tripartite agreements, Galvez said the national government tries to get the best price through negotiations with vaccine manufacturers, while the local government units and companies provide the funding.

A total of 17 million doses have been secured through tripartite agreements forged between LGUs, private companies, and the national government with British-Swedish vaccines maker AstraZeneca early this week.

The first batch of vaccines consisting of 2.5 million doses purchased by private firms last November 2020 will be delivered in May this year.

On the other hand, the 14.5 million doses ordered by 39 LGUs and 300 companies through a tripartite agreement signed on January 14 will arrive in the country by the third or fourth quarter of 2021.

“The government will strive to meet its target of 148 million doses of safe and effective vaccines this year at the earliest possible time,” Galvez said.

The vaccine czar noted that a vaccine will only be procured once it has been endorsed by the Vaccine Expert Panel.

Likewise, only vaccines that received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) will be administered to the public.

The selection, procurement, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the country will strictly adhere to the government’s stringent protocols to ensure transparency and accountability, Galvez said. — DVM, GMA News