Victimising Sahpra over vaccines is misguided

GOOD welcomes collaborating with other political parties around common values and issues of public interest, but has declined an invitation to join an EFF protest against the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, on the grounds that it doesn’t make sense.

Sahpra is responsible for authorising the use of vaccines once it is satisfied that the vaccine is effective and safe. It relies on vaccine developers to apply for approvals, and to provide evidence from clinical trials.

There is no evidence that Sahpra is unreasonably withholding approval for any vaccine.

South Africa’s vaccination programme has got off to a slow start, with the media quick to blame the state’s inefficiencies. This doesn’t paint the whole picture.

State inefficiencies aside, the truth is that there are severe supply constraints on vaccines as a result of world leaders’ wariness of the economic consequences of waiving patents governing the production of vaccines.

Sahpra is in no position to increase the supply of vaccines.

Instead of marching on Sahpra, it makes more sense to Good to focus our attention on increasing the supply of vaccines, so that no country is left behind.

BRETT HERRON | Good