Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to cost about Rs 225 per dose in India

New Delhi, Aug 08: The Serum Institute of India, which promise 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India, announced that it will make it available at $3 or Rs 225.

The Pune-based institute would offer up to 100 million doses at a price capped at $3 for 92 low and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, SII announced on Friday.

The SII also said that if successful, Novavax's candidate will be available to all 92 countries while AstraZeneca's candidate vaccine will be available to 57 Gavi-eligible countries.

The vaccine candidate by Oxford University for which AstraZeneca has the licence is under advanced stages of clinical trials in India and several other countries and is likely to be available for public use in the first half of 2021.

The institute has entered into a new partnership with international vaccine alliance Gavi and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India as well as other low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The collaboration will provide upfront capital to SII to help them increase manufacturing capacity now so that, once a vaccine, or vaccines, gains regulatory approval and WHO prequalification, doses can be produced at scale for distribution to India and LMICs as part of the Gavi COVAX AMC mechanism as early as the first half of 2021," SII said in a statement.

The funding will support at-risk manufacturing by SII for candidate vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax, which will be available for procurement if they are successful in attaining full licensure and WHO prequalification, the statement said.