Covishield to cost Rs 200 for govt, Rs 1000 in private market, says SII’s Adar Poonawalla

Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, will be sold to the Indian government at Rs.200 per dose, SII head Adar Poonawalla has said.

For private buyers, Covishield will be sold to at a higher price of Rs.1000 per dose.

Adar Poonawalla said that the first 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are being sold to the Indian government at a “special price” of Rs 200 per dose, after which prices would be higher.

The Indian government gave emergency authorisation to the Oxford University-AstraZeneca, but on the condition that SII doesn’t export the shots to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected.

He said that the company also has been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market. “We can only give (the vaccines) to the government of India at the moment,” Adar Poonawalla said.

Adar Poonawalla added that the Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with Covax for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine.

Covax is an initiative created to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines set up by the World Health Organization, vaccines alliance GAVI and CEPI, a global coalition to fight epidemics.