I responded to unusual requests from Argentina

Pfizer, the American pharmaceutical company, imposed abusive conditions on Latin American governments when it had to sit down to negotiate the million dollar purchases coronavirus vaccines.

This was announced in a recent report by the journalistic organization The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), in collaboration with the Peruvian media Ojo Público, where it was revealed that, among the company’s requests, it was asked to place a guarantee of the sovereign assets of countries, including public propertylike embassies and military bases, or federal bank reserves.

These guarantees are as a means of guarding against possible legal action for possible adverse results after application of the doses. In response, an anonymous source called Pfizer’s position “high-level intimidation.”

Regarding the conditions in each country, the report found that officials in Argentina and another Latin American country explained that the company’s representatives demand additional compensation against any civil actions that the citizens could present if they experienced any adverse effects after being vaccinated.

The pharmaceutical company has asked the country to take out international insurance against possible conflicts. And in December, the condition arrived which ended up breaking down the negotiation: they asked Argentina to place its assets as collateral, something that could include strategic real estate and funds from the Central bank.

A similar conflict arose in the negotiations between Pfizer and Brazil. They would have suggested to this country that in addition to having sovereign assets, should deposit money in a foreign bank account create another guarantee fund. These requirements have been defined as “abusive” by the Ministry of Health. Likewise, the Brazilian regulator has already approved the use of these large-scale injections, although the purchase is blocked.

Despite this situation, In Latin America and the Caribbean, Pfizer has successfully sold its vaccine in nine countries: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay and Peru., although details of the deals have not been made public.

Guarantee: glaciers and fishing licenses

“They come here to hang out like it’s a colony,” Rachid said of Pfizer

Already in December of last year, the surgeon, sanitarist and adviser to the government of Buenos Aires Jorge Rachid indicated that in the negotiations for the vaccines, Pfizer demanded as collateral “a new law with inaccessible assets that included glaciers”.

“Argentina offered the central military hospital, which belongs to the state; it offered the best scientific team with Dr. Fernando Polack at the head; 6000 clinical trials on Argentines were carried out at no cost to Pfizer one peso, to be able to collaborate, like everyone else, ”declared one of the doctors who make up the expert committee advising Governor Axel Kicillof to define policies in the province.

In this context, he pointed out that one of the laboratory conditions Pfizer-Biontech distributing vaccines around the country was a law “that seemed logical to the government because it’s like informed consent that you sign before entering an operating room, for example.”

“This is happening because phase three is two to five years and then we temporarily approve all countries in the world because phase is going to continue. Now we have seven months of weekly verification that the vaccine is not harming and generating antibodies. In addition, it is reliable and we are not going to let two million people die when we have a tool like this, ”he continued.

But then he said that when the law was approved, the government opposed ” seizable goods in Argentina “in the negotiation and added: “They asked for a new law as collateral with inaccessible assets including glaciers and fishing licenses.”

“Phase three of the investigation lasts between 3 and 5 years. They asked for natural goods as collateral. They come here to walk around as if it were a colony,” he asked.

Furthermore, he said in radio statements that Pfizer had met President Alberto Fernández again and “agreed that we were not going to give in on this and that a contract was being sought.”

He later stated that “when I say glaciers it is no accident, because two weeks ago fresh water started trading on Wall Street. Let us not forget that Pfizer is owned by the Black Rock fund, the same that tried to prevent the restructuring of Argentina’s debt “.

Unacceptable conditions

The minister argued that the laboratory was asking for “unacceptable conditions”

Ginés González García, who at the time was Minister of Health, then claimed not to understand “the demands of Pfizer“to clarify the sale of vaccines against the coronavirus to Argentina and had said that” it seems that they do not believe it “.

Pfizer was one of the first laboratories in the world to begin conversations with the Argentine government to finalize the sale of coronavirus vaccines when there was still no vaccine or certainty about their availability. Even in the Buenos Aires City Military Hospital one of the world’s largest clinical trials has been completed.

After several months, scientific development began to gain approval from regulators around the world to begin to be inoculated, but controversy prevented the Argentina was on the list of countries with access to these doses.

In this context, González García had argued that the laboratory had requested “unacceptable conditions” sign the agreements, but avoided giving details because, he argued, confidentiality clauses that cover the negotiation apply.

However, it appeared that the obstacles are linked to the legal immunity that Pfizer intended to have in the country in the event of undesirable consequences of the dose on the population.

“We offered them the structure to conduct the clinical study here, there were contractual conditions for which we made a law and there was something in the local law that was not what they wanted. And the truth is that it is very difficult for us to make another law, apart from the fact that it would not be the most worthy thing for a country, ”insisted the former minister.