Spox Roque calls Sinovac price reports orchestrated

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claims reports of Sinovac vaccines being the most expensive are orchestrated by "ignorant" government critics.

He stated that Sinovac is the fifth most expensive among seven vaccine brands, with two others costing more, and that the Philippines secured the doses at a "best friend forever" (BFF) price from China.

However, a Senate finance committee list indicated Sinovac's price at P3,629.5 for two doses, making it more expensive than Pfizer-BioNTech, Gamaleya, COVAX Facility, AstraZeneca, and Novavax, while the Moderna vaccine costs between P3,904 to P4,504 for two doses.

Roque declined to name the more expensive vaccines due to confidentiality agreements.

He later assured that Sinovac vaccine costs only around P650 per dose, similar to its pricing in other countries, and called reports of P3,600 per dose "fake news".

Roque explained that China's vaccine pricing is not market-dictated and can be changed, implying that announcing the exact price might upset countries that purchased at a higher cost.

He also defended the Sinovac vaccine, noting that despite a 50% efficacy rate in Brazil trials, it caused no hospitalizations.