Two doses of Covishield vaccine to cost Rs 2000 in private market if ‘govt allows it’: Adar Poonawalla

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, on Monday said that the Covishield vaccine produced by it, which has received approval from the country's drug regulator DCGI, will be commercially available at Rs 1,000 per dose if the government allows sale in retail. Since the vaccine needs a booster dose, the total cost will come to Rs 2000.

For the government, "We are giving it in a very special price of Rs 200 for the first hundred million doses. Then there will be tendering and then different prices will be available," said Poonawalla as per a report carried by NDTV.

"But let me just say -- whatever we give to the government, they are going to provide it free to the people of India and when we subsequently sell it in the private market, the MRP is going to be Rs 1,000 per shot," he said.

The Serum Institute, which started manufacturing the vaccine developed by the Oxford University and pharma major AstraZeneca long ahead of the results of clinical trials, has 50 million doses available.

The date of the vaccine rollout is yet to be announced though the government has conducted dry runs.

"We are expecting all formalities to be completed in the next 7 to 10 days and a very quick rollout after that and we're hoping to reach 70-80 million doses of actual supply in the next one month - or maybe a month and a half at the most," Poonawala was quoted as saying.

By March, the company said it could double its monthly output, but the vaccine's availability in the private market will depend on the government easing its restrictions.

"We'll have to go by their (the government's) guidance and wisdom because they have said that we cannot export the vaccine or give it to the private market. These have been our discussions at the movement and I respect that because they want to give it to the vulnerable people," Poonawalla told NDTV.

This, he said, also means that "any common citizen today who wants to buy it or get access to it or a corporate who wants to vaccinate their entire workforce to bring them back safely to work can't do so until the government has got enough doses to vaccinate the vulnerable, healthcare workers, the elderly, etc".