The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Karp-Sawey, media manager,Tel: +44 (0)7711 875 345,Email:,joe.karpsawey@globaljustice.org.uk

Astrazeneca Must Justify 'Unequal' Vaccine Pricing After Bumper Profits

WASHINGTON

Reacting to AstraZeneca's full year results today, Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said:

"AstraZeneca's bumper profits today show the company can easily afford to provide its Covid-19 vaccine at cost price during the pandemic and beyond. But despite this pledge, it has yet to address the question of why lower-income countries like South Africa and Uganda are paying several times more per dose than the European Union. This is not the 'equitable access' AstraZeneca has been trumpeting in its press releases.

"This global inequality cannot continue. If a booster shot is required to deal with Covid-19 variants, will AstraZeneca commit to providing it at the same price to all countries, including as a condition of any sub-licensing agreements? It is an outrage that the countries with the least resources are being charged the most in the midst of a global health emergency."

Global Justice Now is a democratic social justice organisation working as part of a global movement to challenge the powerful and create a more just and equal world. We mobilise people in the UK for change, and act in solidarity with those fighting injustice, particularly in the global south.

020 7820 4900