KARACHI - The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday allowed the pharma company to sell Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine which it imported from Russia. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar heard the contempt petition against DRAP. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) submitted its reply over a contempt petition in the court and stated that the vaccine was released on March 31. The court asked from DRAP that did it interfere in the release of vaccines. At which, the DRAP lawyers replied that it did not interfere in release of the vaccines.
Vaccination should be given to people as soon as possible, the court remarked. “In such a situation, it is not appropriate to stop vaccination,” the court remarked. “Will the matter be resolved after the price is fixed?” The court inquired. No, even if the price is fixed, the matter will not be resolved, the company lawyer said. If the price of the vaccine is fixed at Rs8,000, we will sell it, the company lawyer argued.
The price was not fixed even when the vaccine was allowed to be imported, DRAP lawyer replied. He argued that it was said that the matter of fixing the price of vaccine is still going on. What was the government doing so far? Why didn’t they fix the price? The court remarked. The DRAP lawyer pleaded with the court to stop selling vaccines until next week they will fix the price.
“You should hurry, the third wave of Covid-19 has come,” the court remarked. The company lawyer argued they were ready to give price data. The company stated in petition that one million injections were contracted. Fifty thousand vaccines were ordered. The company has fixed the price of the vaccine at Rs. 12,226.
The company’s lawyer argued that every citizen wanted to know how much money they get for vaccination. “We have contracted 2 million vaccines with a foreign company,” the lawyer said. According to the agreement, the vaccine has to be taken from a foreign company; otherwise there will be huge loss. The court adjourned further hearing of the petition till April 12.
