Centre asks Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech to lower the prices of COVID19 vaccines
After the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech announce differential prices of their Covishield and Covaxin vaccines, respectively, the central government has asked the vaccine manufacturers to lower the COVID19 vaccine prices.
Image used for representation purpose. Photo: WHO
The Indian government has asked Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech — the two COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in the country — to lower the prices of their vaccines Covishield and Covaxin, respectively. This decision came after these vaccine manufacturers recently announced prices of their vaccines for the state government and private hospitals.
On April 24, Bharat Biotech International Ltd announced that “following the directives of the Government of India”, the price of Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, will be Rs 600 per dose for state governments and Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals.
Meanwhile the same vaccine is being supplied to the central government at Rs 150 per dose, which the Indian government is distributing free of cost. The company informed that 50 per cent of its capacities “have been reserved for Central Government supplies”.
Three days before that, on April 21, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd also announced that its Covishield vaccine would be sold to the state governments for Rs 400 per dose and to the private hospitals for Rs 600 per dose.
Serum Institute also informed that was reserving 50 per cent of its capacities for the Indian government’s vaccination programme and the remaining for the state governments and the private hospitals.
This differential pricing of the COVID-19 vaccines has faced stiff criticism from health experts and some state governments.
Today, in a press conference, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the central government to cap the price of vaccines. He had also appealed to the vaccine manufacturers to bring down the price to Rs 150 per dose for everyone. “You have an entire lifetime to earn profits. This is not the time to do that when there is a raging pandemic. I also appeal to the Central Govt to cap the price (of vaccines) if needed. I hope that the prices remain the same for all,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has also referred to this policy of different vaccine prices as “inherently unfair”. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, Palaniswami said “Such a differential price mechanism is inherently unfair since it places a higher financial burden on States. It is also iniquitous since the State governments have considerably less fiscal resources at their command than the Central government.”
Palaniswami has requested the Indian government to procure and supply the entire required quantity of vaccine for administering all groups in the age group of 18-45.
From May 1 onwards, COVID-19 vaccination will be made available for all citizens above the age of 18 years. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has announced a new policy to be adopted in phase 3 of the COVID19 vaccination in the country. As per this, states have been given the responsibility to procure and administer the vaccine to the people in the age group of 18 to 45 years. The vaccines would be procured by the state governments at pre-determined prices from the manufacturers.
Cumulatively, 141 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country so since the vaccination drive was kicked off in the country on January 16. As on day-100 of the vaccination drive (April 25), 9,95,288 vaccine doses were given.