AstraZeneca vaccine price pledge omits some poor countries, contract shows

Exclusive: firm could charge more in places such as Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka once Covid pandemic is over

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AstraZeneca can charge a higher price for its Covid-19 vaccine in dozens of poor countries once the pharmaceutical company decides the pandemic has ended, according to a copy of its contract with Oxford University seen by the Guardian.

The British-Swedish drug firm has promised to provide the vaccine at a not-for-profit price to the developing world in perpetuity, but a review of a redacted version of its contract with Oxford University, obtained by the lobby group Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), found that the promise excludes many low-income and lower-middle-income countries.