After speaking with current and former negotiators, United Nations representatives, NGO officials, and politicians, Investigate Europe reported Thursday that "access for all was never a priority" in initial vaccine procurement talks.
A negotiator told the news outlet that "there was strong nationalism on the European level."
"The words 'global public goods' are an empty shell," said another unnamed negotiator.
Negotiators claimed in interviews with Investigate Europe that "their hands were tied" in price talks with pharmaceutical companies because of the "lucrative contracts already signed by the United States."
Another said that "Big Pharma are very good at pressuring."
"If you don't sign their contracts," the unnamed negotiator said, "others will do."
The People's Vaccine Alliance, a global coalition of more than 70 humanitarian and public health organizations, tweeted that Investigate Europe's story "details what we suspected all along."
"Vaccine nationalism and pharma profits trumped Covid solidarity."
Moderna, Pfizer, and the latter's German partner BioNTech "have reaped over $60 billion in jab sales in 2021 and 2022," Investigate Europe observed.
Moderna hasn't delivered a single vaccine dose to a low-income nation thus far, according to an Amnesty International report published earlier this week.
"Documents seen by the Financial Times revealed that Pfizer's vaccine now fetches €19.50 against €15.50 previously," the outlet noted. "Similarly, a dose of Moderna costs $25.50 (€21.60), up from $22.50 in the first deal, although down from $28.50 in the second."
Anna Marriott, policy lead for the People's Vaccine Alliance, told Investigate Europe that "vaccine corporations have been greedy," effectively getting taxpayers to pay for vaccines three times over.
"First with billions for research, then with bloated prices draining public funds, and finally because they're paying little in taxes," said Marriott.
Probe of Secret Vaccine Talks Finds 'Access for All Was Never a Priority' (commondreams.org)
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