CEPI criticised for lack of transparency

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 397; no. 10271; pp. 265 - 266
• Main Author: Usher, Ann Danaiya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 23.01.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Agreements; Contract negotiations; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines - supply & distribution; Developing Countries; Drug Industry - organization & administration; Financing, Organized - organization & administration; Health Equity; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Manufacturing; Negotiations; Organizational Innovation; Pandemics; Public concern; Public health; Vaccines; World Report; United States > US; India
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00143-4

According to an HHS press release, the US Government “will own the 100 million doses of investigational vaccine expected to result from the demonstration projects”. “In a pandemic situation, where high-income countries are not particularly price sensitive and are willing to pay pretty much anything just to get access to these vaccines, Gavi has very little power to negotiate with companies”, he added. [...]CEPI's negotiations with companies are subject to confidentiality and agreements are not made public. [...]recently, not much was known about the contents of the CEPI contracts. In November, 2020, Zain Rizvi at Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy organisation, published an analysis of the public interest safeguards in CEPI grant agreements and found from Novavax's financial filings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that its contract with CEPI contains a public health licence.