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.

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Mr.Poonawalla said that the vaccine will be made affordable by keeping the cost at a moderate price.

The CEO said that at present the company is working with the AstraZeneca- Oxford vaccine which is undergoing Phase-III clinical trials. In addition to this, the company is planning to start human trials in India in August , this year, with 4000-5000 volunteers. Based on the success of the trials, his company was expecting to launch the vaccine by the end of the year.

The Indian leg of the trial is important because of the higher pre-existing immunity levels of the population.

Shedding more light on what would be the next course of action for the Serum Institute, Mr Poonawalla said he is hoping to get approvals from the government to conduct the phase III vaccine trials in India.

The experimental vaccine, tentatively named as AZD1222, was found to be safe, prompting a strong immune response in over a thousand people it was administered to in early human trials. The preliminary findings were published on July 20 in The Lancet Medical Journal. AstraZeneca and Oxford University have chosen the Serum Institute to produce the vaccine in India once it is ready.

One of the largest vaccine makers in the world, Serum Institute, had last month signed a deal with AstraZeneca to supply one billion doses to India and other low and middle-income-countries. He clarifies that the institute is well equipped with state-of-the-art technology to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile the Government of India is speeding up the regulatory clearances needed for the Serum Institute of India’s upcoming phase III trial. Niti Aayog member and the chairperson of the national task force for covid-19 said that the government is also willing to provide financial support and other essential support needed by vaccine developers.

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