Duterte swipes at pharma firms seeking advance vaccine payment
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed on Monday to prioritise buying coronavirus vaccine to be made available by China or Russia, while taking a swipe at pharmaceutical firms of Western nations asking for advance payment for offerings.
Duterte singled out China, which he said was unlike other countries seeking a "reservation fee" or advance payment. "The one good thing about China is you do not have to beg, you do not have to plead," he said. "One thing wrong about the Western countries, it's all profit, profit, profit."
Duterte did not name any companies, but said Philippine law prohibits the government from buying anything that is non-existent or has yet to be produced. "They want you to finance their research and the perfection of the vaccine," he said. "They want cash advance before they deliver the vaccine. If that's the case, then all of us will die."
