COVID-19 vaccine to cost under Rs 1000 per shot

The COVID-19 vaccine designed and developed by Oxford University and UK-based biopharma company AstraZeneca will cost under Rs 1000 per shot in India. The price was revealed by Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla.

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.