Expensive lessons from the pandemic Confederation disposes of 1.3 billion Swiss francs worth of coronavirus vaccine
Switzerland procured more than 60 million vaccine doses during the coronavirus pandemic - only a fraction was used. Vaccines worth 1.3 billion Swiss francs were disposed of.
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- During the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government bought 61 million vaccine doses for CHF 2.3 billion.
- Now it is becoming public: a large proportion of the purchased vaccine had to be disposed of.
- The secret contracts with pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna and Pfizer raise questions about transparency.
Switzerland purchased vaccines worth CHF 2.3 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of which remained unused. Only around a quarter of the doses procured were actually needed, while vaccines worth CHF 1.3 billion had to be disposed of, as reported by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper.
This disposal raises questions about the transparency of the contract details with the pharmaceutical companies, which the federal government continues to keep under wraps.
The rapid development and approval of the coronavirus vaccines was considered a medical miracle. However, the hope of quickly overcoming the pandemic through a comprehensive vaccination campaign led to extensive procurement.
Federal government bought 61 million vaccine doses
The contracts with the manufacturers Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax obliged Switzerland to purchase 61 million doses. Four years later, the state accounts of the Federal Finance Administration show the financial consequences of these decisions.
A significant proportion of the vaccines were sent abroad as humanitarian aid, but the majority had to be disposed of due to expired expiration dates. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) justifies the high value adjustments with the pressure at the time to supply the population quickly and sufficiently.
Nevertheless, the question of how much the federal government actually paid the pharmaceutical companies remains unanswered, as the terms of the contracts remain secret.
Secrecy instead of transparency
The secrecy of the contracts is contrary to the principles of the administration's principle of publicity. The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner demanded that the contracts be disclosed, but the FOPH refused. This led to ongoing legal proceedings in which the disclosure of the contracts is being demanded.
There are also similar disputes at European level, with the EU Commission appealing against a decision by the European Court of Justice.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.