Health experts voice concerns over a “parallel system” that comes at the expense of “broader societal and consumer perspectives”.

Australians will be offered respiratory vaccines from
next year without the usual assessment that ensures they are the most effective available at the best possible price, under the confidential $2 billion onshore manufacturing
deal the Morrison government struck with Moderna, The Guardian reported.

The agreement exempts Moderna’s mRNA vaccines from assessment by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), a government memorandum has revealed.

The PBAC is comprised of medical experts and is a key step in ensuring government-purchased vaccines are confirmed as the safest and best quality for their required task, at a reasonable price.

Under the Moderna deal, the government will pay an undisclosed price for an undisclosed percentage of up to 100 million vaccine doses.

The Australian National Audit Office has announced it will investigate the deal.

PBAC has warned that moves aimed at speeding up the distribution process “should not come at the expense” of the other objectives, “including fairness, equitable access, and safe and judicious use of medicines”.

The Moderna mRNA vaccine deal was forged during the COVID-19 emergency but has been extended to cover all respiratory vaccines produced onshore and registered through the Therapeutic Goods Administration – including any for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.