MUMBAI/BENGALURU:
India has signed a purchase order with vaccine producer Serum Institute to procure AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, a source said on Monday, the first step in one of the world’s largest vaccination programmes against the novel coronavirus.
The order was for 11 million doses and the government would buy the shots at 200 rupees ($2.72) per dose.
The government has also signed a purchase agreement with Indian firm Bharat Biotech for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Bharat Biotech inked a purchase agreement with the Government of India on January 11 to provide 55 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin at Rs 295 per dose,
The Indian pharma firm Bharat Biotech will be providing its coronavirus vaccine directly to 12 states, and the process will be completed in two days by January 14. Dispatches will begin from Hyderabad starting January 12.
.Representatives for Serum, Bharat Biotech and India’s health ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
India will vaccinate around 300 million people in the "next few months" against the coronavirus, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, hailing the inoculation’s cost for a country that has the second most pandemic cases.
"From 16th January we are starting the world's largest vaccination program. Around 30 million healthcare workers and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase, said Modi. In the second phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be given shots"
"Health workers – government as well as private – will be vaccinated first of all. Sanitation workers, other frontline workers, defence forces, Police and other paramilitary forces will also be vaccinated in the first phase," Modi said in a meeting with chief ministers through video. He added that India's vaccines are the most cost effective.
*****The cost to vaccinate three crore frontline workers will be borne from the PM CARES Fund,The Prime Minister also announced that State governments will not have to bear any cost towards vaccinating these 3 crore people in the first stage. Centre will bear this cost, he added.
The Indian government has been negotiating with the Serum Institute of India to bring down the price of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, people close to the matter said, delaying the roll-out of the country’s immunisation programme.India’s drug regulator has approved emergency use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University as well as another developed by Indian firm Bharat Biotech, but the government has not placed firm orders with either firm.
Senior officials have been discussing the terms of the deal with the Serum Institute for weeks, hoping to bring down prices below $3 per shot, one of the sources with direct knowledge told Reuters.
“Price is an issue with Serum. Government needs to control it,” another official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Serum chief executive Adar Poonawalla had told the CNBC-TV18 channel in November the vaccine would be priced at about 1,000 rupees ($13.55) per dose for the private market in India and would cost the government about 250 Indian rupees ($3.40) per dose.
Some officials are seeing the possibility of a further lowering of prices, the source said. To vaccinate a country of over 1.3 billion people involves a large cost and every rupee saved would help, the source said.
“Any government would do this, we need to keep costs down,” the source said.
India aims to secure 600 million doses for its vaccination drive that aims to inoculate 300 million citizens over the next six to eight months. The programme is expected to begin on Jan. 16.
Serum, the world’s largest producer of vaccines, has stockpiled 50 million doses for immediate distribution.
India’s drug regulator had given emergency use approval for both vaccines earlier this month. Two other vaccines – Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D and Russia’s Sputnik V – are still in trials in India.
On Saturday, the government announced the immunisation programme will begin on Jan. 16. The plan is to cover 300 million people in the first part of the programme, kicking off with health workers, frontline staff such as police and then people over the age of 50 and those with co-morbidities.
That will require 600 million doses and Serum, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines has stockpiled 50 million doses for immediate distribution.
There is no word yet on negotiations with Bharat Biotech whose vaccine developed in collaboration with the Indian council for Medical Research was given an emergency licence although it has not completed efficacy trials.