Haryana cabinet to decide on Malta firm's offer for selling Sputnik-V vaccine at cost of Rs 1,120 per dose

Chandigarh, June 06: The Haryana cabinet will take a final decision after the state government received an offer from a pharmaceutical company based in Malta to provide up to 60 million doses of Sputnik-V vaccine to the state at a cost of Rs 1,120 per dose, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Sunday.

"We are considering the offer and it will be put up before the state cabinet, which will take a final decision," Vij told reporters in Ambala. The state had floated a global tender for COVID-19 vaccine shots through the Haryana Medical Services Corporation (HMSCL) on May 26.

The tender was closed on June 4, but no bid was received during the period, the government had said in a statement here on Saturday.

However, Malta-headquartered Pharma Regulatory Services Limited has given an expression of interest to the state-run HMSCL to provide doses of Sputnik-V manufactured by the Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), it had said.

Sputnik-V is one of the three vaccines approved by India's drug controller for use in the country. As per the offer made by the firm, each dose of the vaccine will cost Rs 1,120, the statement said.

The firm has given a timeline of 30 days to supply the first batch of five lakh doses, followed by 10 lakh doses every 20 days till the supply is completed, against a letter of credit issued in its name, the government said.

Many states had recently floated global tenders for COVID-19 vaccine to augment supplies being received by the Centre, as well as to give a boost for vaccination of the 18-44 age group.