The Australian government under former Prime Minister Scott Morrison signed a confidential $2 billion manufacturing deal with Moderna that exempts the company’s vaccines from key regulatory processes, The Guardian reported.

Under the deal, Moderna’s mRNA vaccines produced at its recently constructed Australian facility do not have to undergo an assessment by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). The PBAC is an independent advisory committee that recommends medications and vaccines for Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — the program that provides government-subsidized medications.

The contract, signed in 2021 also commits the Australian government to buy Moderna vaccines produced in Australia for at least 10 years.