Serum Institute Likely To Supply COVID Vaccine At Rs. 250 Per Dose: Report

Bengaluru: Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine producer by volume, is close to signing a supply contract with the central government and is likely to fix prices at Rs. 250 ($3.39) per dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Business Standard reported on Tuesday (December 8), citing people familiar with the matter. The government of India is pinning its hopes for mass supply on Serum Institute of India, which lodged the first formal application for emergency-use approval of AstraZeneca’s shot on Monday (December 7).

Also Read: India Speeding Up Review Of Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines: Government Official

Chief Executive Officer of SII Adar Poonawalla had earlier said that the vaccine, which is being developed by Oxford University and pharma giant AstraZeneca, would be priced at Rs. 1,000 ($13.55) per dose in India’s private market, but governments signing large supply deals would likely buy it at lower prices.

Mr Poonawalla had said that the Serum Institute of India will first focus on supplying the vaccine to Indian citizens before distributing it to the people of other countries.

With 9.70 million COVID-19 cases recorded so far, India is second only to the United States and is accelerating its review of vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca to authorize for emergency use, a senior official said on Monday.

The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Serum Institute and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comments.

Also Read: Department Of Biotechnology’s Expert Committee Tracking Developments Related To COVID-19 Vaccine: Official

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.