New ceiling price caps Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to RM77 per dose, Sinopharm at RM61 per dose

Malaysia has announced a maximum ceiling price for two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines that are sold on the private market. This includes CoronaVac by Sinovac and Covilo by Sinopharm.

For Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines, the maximum wholesale price is RM62 per dose while the maximum retail price is RM77 per dose. Meanwhile, the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine has a maximum wholesale price of RM49 per dose while the maximum retail price is RM61 per dose. The new ceiling price will take into effect starting tomorrow, 15th January 2022 under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

At the time of writing, private healthcare providers are charging RM350 for the two Sinovac doses (RM175 per dose) and RM99 for Sinovac boosters. However, take note that the maximum retail ceiling price is only for the vaccine and it does not include service charges or any other charges including disposable items (needles, syringes, etc.) required to administer the vaccine.

Although COVID-19 vaccines are offered for free under the National Immunisation Programme, the public can get their preferred vaccine by buying it on the private market at authorised healthcare providers. According to the Ministry of Health, they found that the private sector has been charging different pricing for the vaccines and this may cause a burden to the public especially when the country is still battling the pandemic.

To help reduce the burden of the cost of living, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs have decided to set a maximum ceiling price for the vaccines to avoid overpricing. The enforcement will be handled by the Ministry of Health’s Pharmacy Enforcement Division.

Private health facilities authorised to offer private-purchase vaccinations must display the COVID-19 vaccine pricing clearly to ensure transparency to consumers. This will allow consumers to compare prices, allowing them to get their preferred vaccine at a reasonable price. Individuals caught selling the vaccines above the ceiling price can be fined up to RM100,000, jailed for not more than 3 years, or both. Companies caught selling vaccines above the ceiling price can be fined up to RM500,000 or pounded up to RM250,000.

If you found any individual or company selling the COVID-19 vaccines above the ceiling price, or if there are any pricing disputes, you can lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Health through the public complaints portal.

Malaysia is currently administering booster shots for fully vaccinated individuals to ensure optimal protection against COVID-19. The default booster option is either Pfizer or AstraZeneca. Sinovac boosters are offered only to Sinovac recipients who have severe allergies and can’t take mRNA-based vaccines. All boosters under the National Immunisation Programme are offered for free and appointments are being sent out automatically via MySejahtera and SMS.

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