Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer demanded an upfront payment from Australia for their ‘Covid vaccine’ that could have been as high as $240 million – but with no guarantee a single dose would ever be supplied.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has been highly criticized for waiting longer than the US and Europe to secure a deal with Pfizer, and sources involved in negotiations claimed Pfizer offered Australia up to 50 million doses in back in July 2020.
Pfizer was allegedly turned down in favor of AstraZeneca because it could be produced in Australia and only 10 million Pfizer shots were ordered.
However, documents released under Freedom of Information show what happened behind the scenes.
The documents show Pfizer wanted an ‘upfront payment 50% refundable if reg (regulatory) approval not obtained or not manufactured and delivered’.
That means Pfizer wanted Australia to pay in advance for the doses it wanted before the drug was approved as safe to use, effective against Covid, or even a single dose was made.
And if Pfizer’s vaccine didn’t ever get approval or didn’t get made for any reason, half of the upfront cost was refundable.
Based on prices Pfizer was charging per vaccine dose to the US and the European Union – $26.64 and $23.95 per dose, respectively – Australia’s bill for the initial order of 10 million doses would have been about $240 million.
So if Pfizer’s Covid vaccine didn’t work, it would have cost Australia $120 million anyway – and $600 million if the 50 million doses were ordered.
The Health Department tried to keep the documents secret, but they were released after the Labor Party made a Freedom of Information request.
