Coronavirus: pharmacies pressure the Government to enable the purchase and sale of vaccines to private parties

Bernardo Vazquez

03/07/2021 18:32

• Clarín.com

• Society

Updated 03/07/2021 18:41

The

pharmaceutical industry

negotiates with the Government an authorization to be able to

acquire vaccines and begin to commercialize them to the public

privately.

This was how

Clarín 

could find out

from sources in the sector, who confirmed that last Thursday laboratories in a meeting that brought together, associations of pharmacies and drug stores discussed the concrete possibility of buying

three million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine

and began to develop a plan to present to the Ministry of Health, which should give the endorsement to be able to implement it and thus increase the number of doses that reach the country.

Laboratories, pharmacies and drug stores

could get an initial stock

of three million doses, which would be equivalent to one and a half million vaccines,

at around US $ 26 each

,

without taxes involved

.

Thus, taking the official dollar at $ 95 -the latest quote from Banco Nación-, the initial investment of the business community would be about

US $ 78 million

, although added to the tax component, that number could double and climb to US $ 156 million, that is, , about

US $ 52 each dose

that is brought.

Following that line

,

the minimum cost for each person vaccinated with two doses would be

$ 4,940, without taxes, or $ 9,880 adding that extra

.

Taking into account the local and commercial distribution margin, they estimate that a price at which they could be sold to the public, privately in pharmacies, would be about US $ 80 per dose -50% more than the value at which it is purchased- , to date $ 7,600.

A) Yes,

Anyone who would like to be vaccinated without waiting for an appointment granted by the State,

would have to pay around $ 15,200 to apply the two doses

.

It would not be free, of course, but those people who can economically make an effort would get out of line and leave their space to those who do not have the resources to buy them.

In the sector

they have been in dialogue with the Government since the beginning of the year

, when Ginés González García was Minister of Health.

And they believe that his departure could open a negotiating door.

Although aware that privatizing the vaccination system would represent a drastic turn in the health policy of the Alberto Fernández government, they believe that in a context in which the doses have been arriving in less quantity than imagined and in the face of a possible regrowth that could be Starting in the fall, La Rosada could twist her arm and enable private purchases, which would also reduce state spending.

The initiative has

broad adherence in the business community

, say sources consulted.

One year after the start of the quarantine in the country, many companies continue to work decimated in terms of the number of personnel, they assure that the level of absenteeism has grown notoriously and that the

home office

has advantages but does not replace work

on site

.

That

at least risk employees

could be

vaccinated

, they consider, would be an advance, and much more than if all employees could be immunized, who are not strategic personnel and who within the current vaccination schedule would remain for the end .

"We would pay for the vaccines that are needed, without hesitation, if we had to invest to ensure the return to work of our workers," they comment from a multinational.

In the Government for now they

relativize the possibility of opening the game to private parties

and allowing the commercialization of vaccines.

And they assure that this position transcends the ideological.

"It is unfeasible for the pharmaceutical sector to access. The laboratories only sell to national states. If they have problems selling and distributing the vaccine to countries such as France, Italy or Germany, even more to private ones," argue executive sources.

However, they admit that

China

has a high stock of doses, although

"they are the most expensive on the market

.

"

Some antecedents worldwide embolden those who encourage that part of the vaccination comes from the hands of the private parties, or that at least pharmacies can be enabled to vaccinate.

For example, the

United

States authorized the sector to

apply doses in pharmacies

and it is expected that in mid or late April they will be able to start

marketing them directly

.

Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom are other examples of pharmacy vaccination provided by those who encourage the idea at the national level.

In

Mexico

, President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador welcomed the possibility

of pharmacies purchasing vaccines.

In

addition,

the pharmaceutical sector

assures that, even without the impact suffered by other industries,

there was a significant retraction in revenues due to the pandemic in 2020

, which was especially noticeable in the smallest neighborhood shops.

"Many believe that because of Covid-19, pharmacies worked more and it was not, since people stopped going to buy medication and did not visit specialists," they maintain.

This week the industry plan to be presented to the national government will be finalized, while in parallel the dialogue with Sinopharm intermediaries will intensify to go out to buy doses if at any time an official endorsement is obtained.

In principle,

three million doses

are those that pharmacies claim to bring, although they assure that that number

could be higher

, since they are not only entering into dialogue with the Chinese laboratory, but also with other vaccine developers in the world.

DD