MSF welcomes Fiocruz's step towards transparency of AstraZeneca deal

Brazil’s public research institution Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) has published online the terms of its agreement with UK pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) for the production of a potential future COVID-19 vaccine, signed on September 9, 2020.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) welcomes Fiocruz’s initiative and calls on other vaccine developers and producers to also make public any vaccine licensing agreements. Fiocruz has said that it considers that the agreement brings a positive opportunity for Brazil to produce and supply the vaccine at a more affordable price.

Pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca are heavily reliant on public money for the research and development (R&D) and production of potential COVID-19 vaccines, yet all corporations have failed to disclose their R&D costs, clinical trial data and licensing deals, including, for example, the original exclusive license between AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Without transparency across the board, the public cannot hold corporations to account, and governments and multilateral institutions are forced to negotiate blind with companies when trying to secure an affordable price.