NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The central government on Monday asked the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech (BB) to lower prices of their Corona vaccines amid criticism from various states who objected to 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.
Bharat Biotech has fixed the price of its Covaxin at Rs 600 per dose for state governments and at Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals, while SII, the world’s largest vaccine maker in terms of volume, has announced a price of Rs 400 per dose for its 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.
Many states have objected to different prices of the vaccines saying that this was not the time for “profiteering.”
Under the third phase of vaccination programme beginning from May 1, there will be two segments with regard to the supply of doses—vaccine manufacturers will supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) doses to the central government and will also be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to the states and in the open market. State government hospitals and private hospitals can now directly purchase vaccine doses from the manufacturers.
The differential prices fixed by the two vaccine manufacturers for the central as well as the state governments and the private hospitals has led to the leaders of several opposition parties slamming the central government of procuring vaccine doses at cheaper prices and also accused the manufacturers of profiteering from it.
However, dismissing all allegations, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday the central government will continue to give vaccine doses from its 50 per cent quota to the states and Union Territories (UTs) free of cost. In a four-page letter, Vardhan added this quota is also open for the private and the corporate sector to pool in their resources so that the combined effort can be deployed to inoculate every adult in this country in the earliest possible time.
(Manas Dasgupta)