The unit prices of the various Covid-19 vaccines mistakenly published on Twitter
The unit prices of the various Covid-19 vaccines mistakenly published on Twitter
A Belgian minister posted on Twitter the prices, hitherto confidential, of anti-Covid vaccines, causing embarrassment from the European Commission
It's called a big dumpling... A Belgian minister posted on Twitter the prices, hitherto kept confidential, of anti-Covid vaccines, causing embarrassment from the European Commission. Eva De Bleeker posted on her Twitter account on Thursday a table detailing the amounts promised by her government to manufacturers for each of the six vaccines ordered, with the price per unit practiced in the EU.
The Belgian Secretary of State for Budget quickly deleted her tweet but screenshots were seized and the contents were still visible on Friday.
The price per unit ranges from 1.78 to 14.70 euros
Thus, the general public has learned that the price per unit varies from 1.78 euros for the vaccine of the Swedish-British group AstraZeneca, to 18 U.S. dollars (or 14.70 euros) for that of the American Moderna, through that of Pfizer/BioNTech which costs 12 euros. "I wanted to be transparent, maybe a little too transparent," Eva De Bleeker said afterwards, admitting her blunder to Belgian MPs. But this "does not jeopardize" the deliveries of vaccines to Belgium,the Flemish liberal leader assured.
The European Commission on Friday reaffirmed the importance of respecting this "obligation" of discretion. "Anything about information like the price of vaccines is covered by confidentiality, it is a very important obligation," Stefan De Keersmaecker, a spokesman for the EU executive, said at the daily press briefing in Brussels. "This is a contractual requirement" in the context of orders already placed to pharmaceutical groups, said the head of the spokesman, Eric Mamer, noting that they had obtained compliance with this rule all over the world.
Prices "covered by a confidentiality clause"
Disclosure of prices paid in Europe exposes the Commission to difficulties with pharmaceutical companies. Confidentiality "is in the interest of the company (already under contract) but also in the interest of ongoing negotiations with other companies, with other vaccine developers," said Stefan De Keersmaecker. The Pfizer Group did recall that prices were "covered by a confidentiality clause in the contract with the Commission," according to a spokeswoman for Pfizer Benelux contacted by the Belga agency.
On Friday, the Secretary of State's Twitter feed only posted the message on the subject: "Here are the facts: 33.5 million vaccines will be purchased this year for 279 million euros." Another $500 million will be provided, this time from the 2021 budget, for future purchases.
Source:- Flash News and News Agencies