China promises to sell Covid-19 vaccines at ‘fair and reasonable’ price around the world
- Head of country’s vaccine task force says poor countries will be given financial help to buy drugs that will prove to be a ‘global public good’
- Executive from state-owned drug maker Sinopharm offers safety assurances and says ‘several dozen countries’ are interested in firm’s vaccine
China has promised that its Covid-19 vaccines will be sold around the world at a “fair and reasonable” price, with help available for developing countries.
Health officials and executives from pharmaceutical companies also vouched for the safety record so far of Chinese-made vaccines at a press conference on Tuesday.
China is a leader in Covid-19 vaccine development, producing four of the 11 candidate vaccines that are undergoing stage three clinical trials, including one from state-owned Sinopharm.
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China promises its Covid-19 vaccines will be available worldwide at a ‘fair and reasonable’ price
Despite concerns over the quality of the country’s vaccines due to high-profile safety scandals in the past, Sinopharm chairman Liu Jingzhen, told the event that “several dozen countries” had expressed interest in the company’s products.
“When Chinese vaccines are successfully developed and launched, they will become a global public good. Therefore, when we are offering vaccines globally, we will also set a fair and reasonable price,” said Zheng Zhongwei, who heads the National Health Commission’s vaccine development task force.
“For underdeveloped or developing countries, we will provide assistance to those countries to help achieve accessibility and affordability of Covid-19 vaccines.”
Zheng said that companies had the right to set their own prices, but should consider setting a price based on manufacturing cost rather than market forces.