A South African court ruled the government must disclose contracts signed with pharmaceutical companies for Covid-19 vaccines, a victory for advocates who alleged that authorities may have overpaid for the shots and that the lack of transparency masked pharmaceutical profits at the public’s expense.
At issue are contracts signed by the South African government with several companies — including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer — that provided millions of Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic. The government also obtained vaccine doses through donations and a World Health Organization program called COVAX, which sought to make vaccines available to mostly low- and middle-income countries.
The contracts, however, have never been publicly disclosed. In a lawsuit, an advocacy group called Health Justice Initiative argued that speculation was rife that the South African government may have overpaid without access to more details on terms or pricing. The group also maintained that mistrust about such arrangements can contribute to vaccine hesitancy.
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