Thai Government Insists Private Sector Are Allowed to Import Covid-19 Vaccine

[webfact]

 

By Tarin Angskul

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Thai government insists it has not barred private sector companies from ordering Covid-19 vaccines for commercial distribution in Thailand, in responding to rumors that the government was monopolizing Covid-19 vaccine imports.

 

Deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said there is a clear policy for companies that are able to source supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be ready to issue them with a license.

 

She said the government has no problem at all with allowing private companies to import these vaccines, while the real problem is a global undersupply of vaccines.

 

The fact is since all Covid-19 vaccines are only intended for emergency use, the government, not vaccine producers, is solely responsible for any negative consequences of these vaccines. And as Covid-19 vaccines are considered public goods, most countries only allow government agencies to handle the procurement, while not a single country has allowed the commercial distribution of any imported vaccines just yet.

 

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-09

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Chicken George]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see any manufacturer of vaccines selling to anyone other than a government.. 

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

She said the government has no problem at all with allowing private companies to import these vaccines, while the real problem is a global undersupply of vaccines.

As long as this is not reversed and hospitals are not charged with violating the governments directives as they were just a few weeks ago this is great news.  However, If they flip flop this will be a third reversal of the same issue.  I understand the global undersupply, but it appears that the Indian Manufacturers do have supplies of vaccines, once those have been allowed into Thailand by the FDA. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

And as Covid-19 vaccines are considered public goods, most countries only allow government agencies to handle the procurement, while not a single country has allowed the commercial distribution of any imported vaccines just yet.

 

 

I don't see any good news in the above report. And in fact, the quoted comment above suggests it's going to be difficult for any hospital here to make their own arrangements for importing a vaccine, even one such as the J&J vaccine that the Thai FDA has already approved.

 

 

Unless I've missed something, I haven't seen any mention of plans by the TH govt to source supplies of the J&J vaccine...

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-thailand/thailand-approves-johnson-johnsons-covid-19-vaccine-idUSKBN2BH1L7

 

From March 25 -- no mention of any govt purchase plans for J&J:

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has granted emergency authorisation to Janssen, the single-dose coronavirus vaccine of Johnson & Johnson, the country’s health minister said on Thursday, the third vaccine to be cleared for local use.

 

Anutin Charnvirankul told reporters the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the vaccine, in addition to those of AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech, which have already been administered in the country.

 

J&J’s vaccine is called COVID Vaccine Janssen after the J&J unit that developed it.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[bdenner]

Quote

The Thai government insists it has not barred private sector companies from ordering Covid-19 vaccines for commercial distribution in Thailand,

That's not what I was told when I made an enquiry at the BKK Hospital in Udon Thani last week. I'm quite willing to pay for the vaccine of my choice!

[internationalism]

Because of the unexpected 3rd wave the government is teying to calm down popular mood, that they have failed to prevent it.  That includes very slow vax program of only several thousands per day. 
 

they still have some 850k vials, which they have store yet from end of february. They have not expained why they are doing it. 
 

i am afraid, they will try to sell it to public, instead of free supply. 
i would also suspect they might sell or lend to to private hospitals, under any excuse, for example for vaccinating medics. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by internationalism

[Jingthing]

I realize this is an international problem because of rich nation's short sighted greedy vaccine nationalism, but anyone that has been paying attention could easily see that Thailand's response was built on a foundation of quicksand. Where has the urgency been long before now to get their vaccine program up to speed? It wasn't there before and I don't even see it here now. It's the proverbial resting on laurels for a relatively successful mitigation program but yet again viruses don't respect borders.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Jingthing

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This is what the govt. says they have allocated, though where exactly the doses are in the supply chain, I don't know.

 

 

And doses administered thus far through April 4:

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[RichardColeman]

Sorry, but in a land of continual scamming, private companies importing and distributing these fills me with extreme fear for the Thai public. 

[Megasin1]

as someone has rightly said, there is no sign of any vaccine company having any deals with private companies. I would think that the third world countries would be prioritised well before it becomes politically acceptable to supply private hospitals, at least by the western producers. You could also be looking at a completely different pricing level. You may get communist vaccines or the Thai government profiteering, but if you aren't part of the national roll out then don't hold your breathe on being jabbed soon.

[brucegoniners]

Well bring it on!

 

I know of one private hospital that tried to order the Moderna vaccine way back in January. Still no approval from the Thai FDA. I guess they know something the one in the USA doesn't know...

[rott]

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Sorry, but in a land of continual scamming, private companies importing and distributing these fills me with extreme fear for the Thai public. 

What about the Red Cross, would they be likely to independently get their own supply.? 

[Forza2002]

Watch this space.. as CP Group are major investors with Sinovac it won't be long before Lotus's and 7-11's start promotions on CV19 vaccines. Just a question of pricing.. 1,000 baht a jab? Would be much cheaper than the private hospitals..

[ramrod711]

We are a year into this pandemic and there are fewer than 100 deaths in Thailand. Thais have done exceptionally well, bravo for them. I just wonder whether their success has led to the poor vaccine rollout. Perhaps a government that thinks there is no panic because thousands are not ill and dying.

[unblocktheplanet]

8 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

it appears that the Indian Manufacturers do have supplies of vaccines, once those have been allowed into Thailand by the FDA. 

Not by today's Covid stats for India. They'll (rightly) use it for their own first. Hey, Thailand could have done that from the beginning, too. Why is India a qorld pharma hub & Thailand only a hub for medical tourism with many generics unavailable. Some even have to buy their meds from overseas...in a pandemic!

[placeholder]

I don't see how the claim that private hospitals can't purchase vaccine can be reconciled with news from the Bangkok Post that private hospitals were able to buy 10 million doses of covid vaccine. Because the article is in today's bangkok post, no link is allowed. But it's easy enough to find as it's currently featured prominently on their home page. I suppose it is slightly ambiguous since the story claims that they were able to buy the 10 million doses. It could mean that they were allowed to but didn't actually buy the stuff. That would an extremely strained interpretation, though.

[internationalism]

Private hospitals were trying to get sinovac, because it was aprooved first. Anitial import 1mln doses, with follow 9mln. And price to patients 1600 b per jab. 
 

suddenly thai fda aprooved j&j, but there is no chance for import, as they have just started production and have serious hiccups after making mistakes on production line. 
 

thai government won't allow any import before they start rolling their locally made AZ, and that is purely for political reasons. 

so they will try to defend themselves from accusarions, but it doesn't speed import. 

 

The problem with sinovac, it's not effective for the UK strain. Some minister is infected already. Maybe ot was too early dor rhe vax to protect

 

so clearly back to squeare one. No vax in private hospitals and no chance for foreigners  to get one

Edited April 9, 2021 by internationalism

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai government insists it has not barred private sector companies from ordering Covid-19 vaccines for commercial distribution in Thailand, in responding to rumors that the government was monopolizing Covid-19 vaccine imports.

If the cap fits...

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

If the cap fits...

Like Carly Simon sang

 

Your hat strategically 

dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror As you watched yourself  go by,  And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner, They'd be your partner,Thai Hi-So, and Government 
You're so vain

 

They brought it on due to their double standards.

[hotchilli]

48 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

They brought it on due to their double standards.

They have standards???