Serum Institute's Covid-19 vaccine to be cheaper across India

Covid-19 vaccine Covishield will be cheaper across India under a price renegotiated by the country's government with the manufacturer, Serum Institute of India (SII), The Economic Times reported today.

The government has renegotiated the price to Rs 157.50 per dose for the ongoing second phase vaccination drive which aims at covering people who are aged 60 and above and those aged between 45 and 59 with comorbidities, the daily quoted an Indian Health Ministry spokesman as saying.

The previous price for each dose of Covishield, developed by Oxford University and Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca, was Rs 210 per dose, including taxes, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Ahead of the current phase, the government struck a deal at Rs 150 plus Goods and Services Tax of five percent which translates to Rs 157.50 per dose, according to the newspaper.

The government, which plans to inoculate nearly 270 million in the second phase, has placed an order for 100 million doses of Covishield, which is the mainstay of India's vaccination campaign, with SII at the renegotiated price, it said.

Covid-19 vaccines are being administered free of cost at state-run hospitals across India while private hospitals have been allowed to charge Rs 250 per dose.

India began its vaccination drive on January 16 with healthcare and frontline workers and the second phase started on March 1.