On Sunday, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave the green light for the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin. The Serum Institute of India has produced two vaccines in the country, the first one is developed by the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University, while the second vaccine, which is India’s first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19 – is developed by Hyderabad-based company Bharat Biotech.
The state governments are now preparing for one of the world’s biggest vaccination program as India plans to inoculate around 30 crore people on a priority list by the month of July and August.
Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan had already announced that the vaccines will be directed to three crore people among which 1 crore are healthcare workers and 2 crore are frontline workers and this will be free in the first phase.
In 1st phase of #COVID19Vaccination free #vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that incl 1 crore healthcare & 2 crore frontline workers
Details of how further 27 cr priority beneficiaries are to be vaccinated until July are being finalised pic.twitter.com/K7NrzGrgk3— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 2, 2021
Dr. Harsh Vardhan had tweeted on Saturday that details of how the other 27 crore priority beneficiaries (which includes persons above the age of 50 years and those under 50 with comorbidities) will be vaccinated are being finalized for now.
Prices Of Serum Institute’s Covishield Revealed
Adar Poonawalla the CEO of Serum Institute has revealed that his company has fixed two different prices for Covishield.
Poonawalla announced on Sunday that its vaccine will be given at Rs 250 to the government while it will be accessible in the private market for Rs 1,000. This is a cheaper rate than the Pfizer vaccine, which is authorized for use in more than 45 countries. In the US, Pfizer vaccine is valued at USD 19.50 (Rs 1,440) per dose.
With #COVISHIELD approved, & now made-in-india, I pay tribute to the strong India/UK partnership & vision of PMs Sri @narendramodi Ji & @BorisJohnson along with Lord @tariqahmadbt & @MattHancock for facilitating early dialogue between @SerumInstIndia @AstraZeneca & @UniofOxford
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 4, 2021
However, In India it is expected to be a little cheaper. In December Pfizer had said that its mRNA vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, will be rated in such a way that “there is little to no out-of-pocket costs” for Indian people whenever the vaccination starts.
Pfizer India was the first company to seek DCGI’s approval for emergency use authorisation (EUA) for a vaccine against COVID-19. But it is yet to get the green light.
The transportation of Covishield is also easier as compared to Pfizer’s vaccine, according to Poonawalla. While Covishield needs to be stored at 2-8° C, the Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored -70°C, which could be a challenge in India.
As per Poonwalla, 50-60 million doses of Covishield vaccine is being prepared by the Serum Institute of India every month.
How Much Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin Will Cost?
Unlike Covisield, Bharat Biotech’s vaccine has also to be administered in two doses around 4-6 weeks apart and must be stored at 2-8° C.
Bharat Biotech has developed the first made-in-India vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (Pune). While the third phase of trial is still going on across India, the company has already published the findings of the first two rounds.
There has been no revelation regarding the price of Covaxin. However, Dr Krishna Ella, the MD of Bharat Biotech, had said in a conference hinted that the vaccine will be cheaper than a water bottle. After his comment, it is estimated that Covaxin will come at a cost lower than Rs 100.
SII had applied to the DCGI for EUA for Covisield on December 6, while Bharat Biotech had sought the nod for its indigenously developed Covaxin on December 7.
