Pazuello’s problematic remarks about Pfizer deal

Eduardo Pazuello before the Covid hearings committee. Photo: Jefferson Rudy/SF/ACS/CC BY 4.0

Brazil’s former Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello has been adamant in saying that the government kept “intense and direct” negotiations with Pfizer to secure a vaccine deal for Brazil. Official documents, however, say otherwise.

Minutes from meetings within the Health Ministry analyzed by The Brazilian Report show that vaccines were only included on the agenda in November — three months after the pharmaceutical giant first approached the government.

“Between August and December, we gave Pfizer 20 answers. We were discussing temperature, regulations, non-transferable technologies, prices,” Mr. Pazuello said. “We were discussing nonstop. Dozens of meetings and discussions.”

Last week, Pfizer’s president for Latin America, Carlos Murillo, said it took the government months to respond to the company’s correspondence. At one point, members of the committee vented the idea of organizing a confrontation between Messrs. Murillo and Pazuello.

Débora Álvares

Débora Álvares has worked as a political reporter for newspapers Folha de S.Paulo, O Estado de S.Paulo, Globo News, HuffPost, among others. She specializes in reporting on Brasilia, working behind-the-scenes coverage at the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches of government.