Hyderabad: A day after Serum Institute reducing its coronavirus vaccine ‘Covishield price to Rs 300 from Rs 400 per dose for states, Bharath Biotech on Thursday also decided to reduce the price of its Covaxin vaccine to Rs 400 from the earlier rate of Rs 600 per dose for supply to States.
Amid protests from politicians and public health voices on the differential pricing of Covid-19 vaccines, both the pharma companies reduced the selling price on its Covid vaccines for the states.
There has also been a heated debate regarding the pricing of the two vaccines.
Serum had priced Covishield at Rs 400 per dose for state government hospitals and Rs 600 for private hospitals while Bharat Biotech priced its vaccine at Rs 600 per dose for state government hospitals and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals.
Announcing the price cut, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in release, maintained that it was deeply concerned with the critical pandemic situation in India. Realising the enormous challenges to the public health care system, the company decided to make available Covaxin to State governments at a price of Rs 400 per dose.
The company maintained that it was “transparent in the approach to pricing which was determined by internally funded product development, several operationally intensive BSL-3 manufacturing facilities and clinical trials.
The company pointed out how Bharat Biotech had been fearlessly handling live Sars-CoV-2 virus strains and tirelessly working round the clock while overcoming many challenges given in the uncertainty of the pandemic.
“With the greater part of the organisation’s facilities and resources being diverted to Covid-19 vaccines, we continue to work towards offering superior Covid-19 vaccines and sincerely wish that this gesture enables our country towards a faster recovery”, the release added.
The decision comes after the Centre urged both Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to reconsider their prices just ahead of the new phase of the vaccination drive that will include everyone above 18 years.
