We were screwed over vaccines — Crisp

● South Africa’s government was not allowed to reduce the amount of Covid vaccine it had ordered and was forced to follow Europe and the US in the long queue for supplies, despite paying a staggering R14.1bn upfront for 60-million doses.

And at a time when Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines were being filled and bottled in Gqeberha, the multinational pharmaceutical company refused to allow South Africa preferential access, instead exporting them to Western countries. They then gave South Africa what was left over.

These details have emerged from the Health Justice Initiative (HJI) investigation into the vaccine procurement agreements between 2020 and 2022 that the department of health entered into with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which produces the J&J vaccine, Pfizer, the Serum Institute of India and vaccine pool Covax.

The report, released this week, found that the government was “bullied” by multinational pharmaceutical companies that held them over a barrel in negotiations. The HJI analysed contracts it asked the department for in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act. When the department refused to the hand them over for reasons of confidentiality, the HJI went to court to secure them.

In its report, the HJI found that South Africa was charged $10 (about R190 now) a dose by J&J, 15% more than the company charged the EU. Pfizer allegedly charged the country 32% more than it charged EU countries. HJI also found that South Africa was charged $5.35 a dose by the Serum Institute of India, which produced the AstraZeneca vaccine, 2.5 times the price the EU paid. At least $10.55 a dose went to Covax — media reports at the time indicated it had agreed to supply the country with about 6-million doses.

Speaking to the Sunday Times this week, the department of health’s deputy directorgeneral Dr Nicholas Crisp agreed the country was hard done by during the vaccine procurement process.

“There’s no question that this was unacceptable. We are very unhappy with the way in which this all happened. The question is, what do we do going forward?

“We were not allowed to reduce our orders. That was also unacceptable ... we couldn’t change our mind. [When] we tried to change our mind we were told that ‘you’ve committed, that’s it. We’ve made the vaccine. You will take it. Even if you have to dispose

of it, it’s your problem and there’s no refund.’ There’s no recall. There’s no nothing,” said Crisp.

However, Crisp said the country was not overcharged for the vaccines, as reflected in the agreements the HJI were given.

According to the J&J contract, South Africa was charged $10 a dose, but ended up paying the global nonprofit price of $7.50, Crisp said.

But there was no doubt South Africa was badly treated, he said.

“We had to pay for things even when we did not need them. We got legal advice if we can change those terms but were told we can’t.

“And then when J&J started bottling vaccines here in South Africa, the president went to intervene in Europe to try and get the vaccine that was being bottled here but they refused. They exported all that vaccine to Europe and then re-exported from there to us that which they thought they could spare at the time, to honour their deliveries around the world,” he said.

“So it was literally you take it or leave it. This is why we ended up with agreements signed in foreign jurisdictions. The bottom line is we were screwed.”

Crisp said the government was not hiding the details of the agreements but was unable to provide them to HJI or make them public because of the non-disclosure agreements signed. When the HJI went to court, the department did not oppose its application.

Crisp said conversations were now taking place internationally and at the UN to prevent this from happening again.

The HJI is set to release a further report after it receives more documents from the department relating to the vaccine supply agreements later this month.

No comment had been received from J&J at the time of going to press.