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TORONTO – Pfizer says it has not yet received any guidance or clarity from the Canadian government regarding the scope of a wide-ranging opposition document request as part of the House of Commons Health Committee study on Ottawa’s response to the pandemic . This has sparked new concerns for the drug’s manufacturer, saying the release of some information could have “unintended consequences” on its COVID-19 vaccine program.
The opposition motion, passed last month, raised concerns from the liberal government and various stakeholders that confidential or confidential company information could be made public and not only interfere with contract negotiations, but also hamper overall efforts. of Canada to conduct business with global companies.
With the impending deadline for the release of emails, documents, notes and other records from various departments and agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, Pfizer says it is concerned that the government would be required to release confidential information belonging to to the pharmaceutical company and other third parties.
In an email to CTVNews.ca, Pfizer Canada spokeswoman Christina Antoniou said the company has yet to hear the government, parliamentary legal department or committee on the motion’s impact and that: “concerned about the implications. and the unintended consequences of the movement on our COVID-19 vaccination program. “
The company said it supports the idea of lawmakers looking into Canada’s response to COVID-19 and that it would be happy to work with the committee if asked, but is concerned about the implications, without offering specifics.
“It is difficult to elaborate further without further guidance from the government on the scope of this motion,” the pharmaceutical giant said.
In an interview on CTV’s Power Play on Monday, Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said that since the motion was passed, the government has heard a vaccine provider express concern about sensitive information in its contract that have been released to the public.
“We are working with that vaccine provider to assure it and with Canadians that the information that needs to be kept confidential will be,” Anand said.
Asked whether the company in question has expressed that vaccine doses could be at risk as a result, Anand said, “This is the deal we are having with them right now.”
“It is a delicate moment in the negotiations now that this motion has passed,” he said.
Pfizer did not address the question of whether the motion could jeopardize Canada’s ability to acquire Pfizer’s promising COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, the manufacturer said early data from its vaccine study showed it is over 90% effective against the coronavirus.
Moderna became the second company to release promising results after reporting Monday that its vaccine candidate was over 94% effective.
The news comes as Canada has surpassed 300,000 cases of COVID-19 and has recorded more than 11,000 deaths. The Liberal government has allocated $ 1 billion to procure vaccines and to date has secured access to as many as 414 million doses of candidate vaccines from a number of drug manufacturers including Pfizer and Moderna.
The conservative motion was passed in October with the support of the Quebec bloc, the NDP and the Greens. Opposition leaders said the motion to examine how the pandemic was handled was important in helping to keep Canadians safe and healthy.
Anand and Health Minister Patty Hajdu had expressed concern that the motion as written would undermine ongoing contractual negotiations and jeopardize Canada’s ability to access and do business with healthcare providers.
Pfizer had previously asked MPs to consider making changes to the motion to include stronger language that safeguards scientific and commercially sensitive information, as well as specific instructions for consulting third parties in the event of a revocation of the information, but no further changes were made to the movement.
With Rachel Aiello files in Ottawa
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