Ecuador: Rejecting pharma monopolies, Ecuador signs deal with China

Last Monday Ecuador announced a new cooperation agreement to be signed with China, totalling $53 million, which will allow Chinese-made medicines and vaccines to be distributed in the South American country. The agreement was signed by State-owned laboratories Enfarma, represented by Luis Monteverde, and Cui Jiao of China’s Sinopharm. The agreement will also re-start a vaccine-manufacturing plant in the country.

“Today we have set out towards a new future of integral cooperation, not only in the supply and delivery of medicine and active ingredients, but also in investment, construction and operation of pharmaceutical factories” said Jiao.

Eduardo Egas, Ecuador’s Industry and Productivity Minister, has said that “It will add… 14 additional vaccines (to the eight already made within the country), which will really help in taking care of the people’s health, especially during times like these, when many illnesses are around.” Other South American countries such as Bolivia and Cuba have signed similar agreements since 2014, hoping to break their dependence on international monopolies.

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