SA was overcharged for its AstraZeneca doses â paying 25% more than high income countries May 26, 2021, 02:16 PM
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South Africa paid roughly R150 per dose of the now-abandoned AstraZeneca vaccine.
This is more than double what the European Union paid and 25% higher than the average cost to high-income countries.
Higher vaccine costs imposed on poorer nations, coupled with a lack of transparency regarding purchase agreements, is a cause for concern according to anti-corruption group Transparency International.
The price of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are, however, better aligned with South Africa’s curve.
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BusinessWorld
May 25, 2021 | 8:18 pm
PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS
THREE more coronavirus vaccine developers applied for clinical trials in the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said the task group on vaccine evaluation and selection received clinical trial applications from West China Hospital and Sichuan University, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., and Eubiologics Co. Ltd.
“Evaluation of the first two new applications are ongoing, while Eubiologics Co. Ltd. are still completing some requirements,” she told an online briefing.
The applications are for phase III clinical trials, she said.
The Media Line Staff 01/28/2021
The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released Thursday by Transparency International shows that persistent corruption in some countries is undermining health care systems ability to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a loss of democratic norms. The index ranked some 180 countries.
The United Arab Emirates achieved the highest spot on the list for countries in the Middle East and northern Africa at 21. This is followed by Qatar at 30 and Israel at 35. Countries making up the bottom of the list include Libya at 173, Sudan at 174, Yemen at 176, Syria at 178, and Somalia tied for the bottom with south Sudan at 179. Both Lebanon and Iran were placed at 149. Other countries in the area include: Oman at 49, Saudi Arabia at 52, Jordan at 60, Tunisia at 69, Bahrain at 78, Kuwait also at 78, Morocco at 86, Turkey also at 86, Algeria at 114, Egypt at 117, Pakistan at 124, Iraq at 160 and Afghanistan at 165.