The central government on Monday asked the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to lower price of their COVID-19 vaccines amid criticism from various states who accused the companies of profiteering during such a major crisis.The issue of vaccine pricing was discussed at a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.Now the two companies are expected to come up with revised pricing for their vaccines.
The Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has fixed the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, at Rs 600 per dose for state governments and at Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals. The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine maker in terms of volume, has announced a price of Rs 400 per dose for its COVID-19 vaccine, ‘Covishield’, for state governments and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals. Both vaccines are available to the central government at a rate of Rs 150 per dose.
The Centre has relaxed its vaccination strategy in the third phase under which the country’s large 18-plus population will get inoculated from May 1.Under the new strategy, the vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market.
The government had said the manufacturers would have to make an advance declaration of the price for the 50 per cent supply that would be available to the state governments and in the open market.Many states have objected to different prices for the vaccines, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying this is not time for profiteering.
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