WASHINGTON – Reacting to AstraZeneca’s full year results today, Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said:

“AstraZeneca’s bumper profits today show the company can easily afford to provide its Covid-19 vaccine at cost price during the pandemic and beyond. But despite this pledge, it has yet to address the question of why lower-income countries like South Africa and Uganda are paying several times more per dose than the European Union. This is not the ‘equitable access’ AstraZeneca has been trumpeting in its press releases.

“This global inequality cannot continue. If a booster shot is required to deal with Covid-19 variants, will AstraZeneca commit to providing it at the same price to all countries, including as a condition of any sub-licensing agreements? It is an outrage that the countries with the least resources are being charged the most in the midst of a global health emergency.”

This post was originally published on Radio Free.