25 September 2025
John Armstrong
Via email:
[FYI request #32155 email]
Tēnā koe John
Request for information: Purchase of Pfizer Comirnaty
Pharmac received the partial transfer of your request dated 2 September 2025 under the
Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act) from the Ministry of Health for information relating to
the COVID-19 vaccine. Please find the full text of your request attached to this letter.
Please find a response from Pharmac to parts 1 and 3 of your request below. You can
expect a response to parts 2, 4 and 5 of your request from the Ministry of Health in due
course.
Part 1 - Supply details of quantities, doses purchased and pricing
The following COVID-19 vaccine presentations are currently available on t
he Pharmaceutical
Schedule under the existing agreement with Pfizer:
• Inj 3 mcg bretovameran per 0.3 ml, 0.48 ml vial; infant vaccine, yellow cap
• Inj 10 mcg bretovameran per 0.3 ml, 0.48 ml vial; paediatric vaccine, light blue cap
• Inj 30 mcg bretovameran per 0.3 ml, 0.48 ml vial; adult vaccine, light grey cap
Details of quantities and doses purchased are provided in the attached Excel spreadsheet.
We are unable to provide net price information. Disclosing COVID-19 vaccine expenditure
alone could reveal confidential unit pricing. This information is withheld under section
9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act, as its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the commercial
position of the supplier. However, we can advise that the combined gross expenditure for
COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in the 2024/25 financial year was $99.6 mil ion.
From 1 July 2023, COVID-19 vaccines were added to Pharmac’s overall medicines budget.
You can find more information about Pharmac’s management of the COVID-19 vaccine at:
https:/ www.pharmac.govt.nz/medicine-funding-and-supply/what-you-need-to-know-about-
medicines/vaccines/covid-19-vaccines
Part 3 - Timeframe of purchase agreement
Pharmac have recently
notified the decision to continue to fund the Comirnaty brand of
COVID-19 vaccine under a new agreement. From 1 February 2026, Comirnaty wil remain
2025-26-056
the main funded COVID-19 vaccine in Aotearoa New Zealand until at least 30 September
2027, with options to extend through to 2029.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please note, you have the right to make
a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the
OIA. Details of
how to make a complaint are on the Ombudsman’s website.
In making our decision, we have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1)
of the Act. No public interest has been identified that would be sufficient to override the
reasons for withholding that information.
To make information more freely available, we publish selected OIA responses (excluding
personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about
this.
Nāku noa, nā
Oliver Whitehead
Team Leader, Government Services
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From: John Armstron
g <[FYI request #32155 email]>
Sent: Friday, 29 August 2025 09:23
To: OIA Requests
<[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Purchase of Pfizer Comirnaty JN.1 and Comirnaty Omicron
XBB.1.5
Dear Ministry of Health,
I refer to the Government Gazette notice 2025-go4763, dated 28 August 2025, as per link
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgazette.govt.nz%2Fnotice%2F
id%2F2025-
go4763&data=05%7C02%7Coiagr%40health.govt.nz%7C0f117f81cbc349bf0e0e08dde6796c12%7C23
cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7C0%7C0%7C638920131375858197%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbG
Zsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIj
oyfQ%3D%3D%7C40000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=clRHstdLSPFC8zHj4oMGRHPDRh8Seei3GnOHXpf9v9M%
3D&reserved=0 "Consent to the Distribution of New Medicines"
1/ Could you please supply details of quantities / doses purchased and price per respective dose for
the following:
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (single dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (multi dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 3mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (single dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (multi dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 3mcg/0.2mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (multi dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.2mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (multi dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (pre-filled syringe, plastic)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty JN.1 (pre-filled syringe, glass)
Active Ingredient: Bretovameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (single dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (multi dose vial)
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Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.033mg/mL equivalent to 3mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (single dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (multi dose vial)
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 10mcg/0.2mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 3mcg/0.2mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (pre-filled syringe, glass)
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
Product: Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 (pre-filled syringe, plastic)
Active Ingredient: Raxtozinameran 0.1mg/mL equivalent to 30mcg/0.3mL dose
2/ Can you please confirm whether these products were issued provisional consent under Emergency
Use Authorisation? If not then please supply details of new Authorisation.
3/ What timeframe applies to the distribution of these products eg, when does the purchase
agreement expire or become due for review?
4/ Could you please supply the full list of ingredients and relevant safety data sheets for each
product?
5/ Can you please supply the risk assessments / review conducted for these products?
Yours faithfully,
John Armstrong
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