Covid-19 vaccine: Pakistan to allow private firms to import shots, exempt from price caps

Islamabad - Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet approves the proposal.

Pakistan is to allow private companies to import coronavirus vaccines and has agreed to exempt such imports from price caps, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, even as the nation scrambles to secure supplies.

The documents show the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination division of the health ministry had sought a special cabinet exemption to allow for such imports, while excluding the imported vaccines from the strict price cap regime that is typically applied to all drug sales within the country.

The documents show the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the proposal, which also sought suspension of some related regulations for six months to let the private sector determine the maximum price caps.

Health Minister Faisal Sultan confirmed the cabinet decision to Reuters, saying it was an “approval of the principle that private sector can import” and drive the pricing due to “the non-availability of a reference price”.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The decision is significant as Pakistan, a nation of 220 million, has yet to secure substantive volumes of vaccines from any company and only this month launched a vaccination drive with 500,000 doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine donated by long-time ally China.

Frontline health workers are being given the shots on priority.

Sultan said that Pakistan still planned to inoculate its population for free and only a “small minority” who wished to pay for the shots would have that option in the open market.

“Only those who wish to get it via private sector will pay anything,” he said. “Personally, my assessment is that when the vaccines are available and we have market competition, that will automatically set the prices.”

Pakistan, which has recorded more than 550,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 12,000 deaths, is still largely reliant on the GAVI/WHO COVAX vaccine initiative that is aiming to provide shots to poorer nations.

Pakistan has yet to receive any of the 17 million doses it is expected to get through the COVAX initiative.

Sultan said last month the country could receive “in the range of tens of millions” of a CanSino Biologics vaccine under an agreement with the Chinese firm.

But there remains no clarity on a timeline.

CanSinoBIO on Monday released interim efficacy results of its multi-country vaccine trial, which included Pakistan, showing 65.7% efficacy in preventing symptomatic cases and a 90.98% success rate in stopping severe disease.

Experts have questioned the decision to allow commercial imports and no price caps.