Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)— Contrary to the Philippine government’s earlier pronouncement, Chinese company Sinovac Biotech on Wednesday said it would be needing an indemnification agreement with the country on the planned purchase of its COVID-19 vaccines.
Speaking to CNN Philippines, Sinovac General Manager Helen Yang said an indemnification clause is common in vaccine deals even with other countries.
“I think the general indemnification is similar to all the countries because the vaccine is still in research, and we believe that every country will [be] evaluating the data up to now,” Yang told The Source when asked if they will be requiring a similar deal from the Philippines.
“So I think there needs to be some indemnification for using the vaccine… Actually for the term sheet, we’ll have a similar language there as well,” she added.
Malacañang earlier this week noted that the Philippine government was not required to ink an indemnification deal with Sinovac— but did not elaborate on the matter.
Several pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca, have demanded that governments shoulder the cost of treatment in case of possible adverse effects caused by vaccination to spare the firms from legal cases.
No supply agreement signed, but Sinovac says it can be flexible
Yang said the supply agreement between the two camps has yet to be signed, as she noted that revisions on the deal’s provisions will take some time.
However, she assured that Sinovac will try its best to secure and deliver the 25 million doses for the Philippines within the year. She added the company can also be “flexible” with the requirements of the deal.
“We’re trying to be flexible because this is a pandemic… I know that right now, people are having an urgency of accessing the products, so that’s why we’re trying to be flexible if the term sheet works, we can start the delivery,” Yang said, but did not divulge further.
Apart from the procurement deal, China’s government has also donated 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses to the Philippines, which Yang said are being prepared for delivery. She expressed hope the shipment will arrive in the country within the week.
It was not immediately clear if the donation will also need to be covered by an indemnification agreement.
