Bharat Biotech on Thursday announced a cut in price of its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' it plans to sell to the states to Rs 400 per dose from the earlier Rs 600.
This follows a widespread criticism of its pricing policy as it sold Covaxin to the central government at Rs 150 per dose.
"Recognising the enormous challenges in the public healthcare system, we have made Covaxin available to state governments at a price of 400/ dose", Bharat Biotech said in its announcement.
The company is deeply concerned with the critical pandemic circumstances that India is facing at this time, it added.
"We wish to be transparent in our approach to pricing which was determined by internally funded project development... and clinical trials," Bharat Biotech said.
Serum Institute of India (SII) had on Wednesday slashed the price of its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield' to Rs 300 per dose from the earlier Rs 400 for state governments, which was described as a “philanthropic gesture” by its CEO Adar Poonawalla.
“As a philanthropic gesture on behalf of Serum Institute India, I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose, effective immediately; this will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward. This will enable more vaccinations and save countless lives,” Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of Pune-based Serum Institute, had said in a tweet on Wednesday.
The Narendra Modi government had this month said that starting May 1, states could inoculate adults aged between 18 and 45 or people in this age group could pay and get vaccinated at private hospitals, abandoning its own responsibility to immunise all Indians.
States and private hospitals would have to procure their own vaccines at prices that would be fixed by the vaccine makers, it said.
While the vaccination of those over 45 for which the Centre is buying the doses would continue at government outlets, it would cease at private hospitals from May 1. The announcement has already caused chaos, with people whose second dose was scheduled at private clinics in May rushing to get it early for fear that they might not get it at all. The result has been long queues at overcrowded vaccination centres, raising the risk of catching the virus.
