The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for coronavirus disease could be available to the general public between April and May next year and is likely to cost around ₹ 500-600 per dose, the executive director of the Serum Institute of India said on Thursday. , Adar Poonawalla, adding that he expects the long-awaited efficacy results (from an ongoing trial of the vaccine in the UK) to be reported within the next three to four weeks.
These efficacy results will pave the way for companies to seek an emergency use license, government approval that will ultimately allow people to receive the first batch of injections. This will likely be for healthcare workers and vulnerable people starting in January or February, Poonawalla said, speaking by video at the 18th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
“The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is proving to work very well, even in the elderly, which was a concern from the beginning. It produces a good T cell response and also a good antibody response, ”Poonawalla said. “In about 2-3 weeks, we are told that the vaccine efficacy results will be available and the trial will not be blinded.”
The vaccine is India’s best hope for early access to a Covid-19 injection, as it is among the first pioneers in clinical trials, has proven to be largely safe, can be stored and distributed with relative ease. Most importantly, it is being manufactured by SII, an Indian company, which has committed to reserve half of the doses for the country.
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But, Poonawalla warned, vaccinating all of India will be a gigantic challenge and the process is unlikely to be completed until 2024. His comments come on a day when the Union’s health minister, Harsh Vardhan, said the government he was in a position to “confidently tell the Indians that in a couple of months, we should be able to deliver a vaccine to the people of India.”
Since November 9, there has been a flurry of good news regarding coronavirus vaccines with two US pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer (with German partner BioNTech) and Moderna, announcing that their candidates have shown 95% better efficacy. than expected. However, India does not yet have an agreement with any of these companies, whose products are expected to be more expensive and more difficult to store.
“As soon as UK authorities and European authorities approve it for emergency use, we will apply for permission in India,” Poonawalla said, referring to the candidate Oxford-AstraZeneca. The initial permit, he added, “would be for health workers and vulnerable populations such as the elderly, since this is how emergency use licenses work. For the general public, it will take another 3-4 months. ”
The candidate vaccine is one of five in clinical trials in India. IBS, founded in 1966 and now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is licensed by Oxford-AstraZeneca to produce 1 billion doses for low- and middle-income countries, including India, with 400 million doses committed to end. of year.
Earlier, while speaking at the opening session of the Leadership Summit, Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, and Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said recent developments on the vaccine front were better than expected and now the challenge will be to vaccinate billions of people around the world.
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Poonawalla said IBS is producing about 50 million doses a month today, and is expected to double in February. Talks are underway with the Indian government for acquisitions, he said, adding: “They want 300 million doses by July. We are preparing to offer that kind of volume to India and we have a few hundred million for Covax. ”
Covax is a non-profit agreement run by the World Health Organization that aims to fund and procure Covid-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.
In total, IBS is producing or planning to produce five coronavirus vaccines. In addition to the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate, the others are from Novavax and Codagenix, plus two that are developing SII.
“Next year, the first release will probably be the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate, after which, every four to five months, we plan to release a vaccine. We will probably release one every quarter and Codagenix will be the last one, ”Poonawalla said.
On a question from a virtual summit attendee, Poonawalla said that India has an adequate logistical infrastructure for vaccine delivery. “We already have the cold chain infrastructure that we use for the universal immunization program. Private players and my team will also help extend the cold chain infrastructure, ”he said.
Supply chain logistics have largely been seen as challenging, especially as Pfizer-BioNTech injection requires temperatures of -70 to -80 degrees Celsius.
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The pharmaceutical entrepreneur also spoke about pricing, saying that India’s volume requirements are likely to allow him to get injections at a much cheaper price than in other countries.
“The vaccine will probably end up costing around $ 5-6, but in India, it will probably cost around $ 3-4 because there are large volumes. The general public will probably have to pay between ₹ 500 and 600. This will be much cheaper than some of the cheaper vaccines we make, “he said.
He also spoke about the stabilization of world vaccine prices over time.
“Indian vaccine prices will probably be half of what we are seeing in the West. Ultimately, prices for most coronavirus vaccines are likely to drop, “he said, adding that he expects prices to stabilize in” six months to a year.
“Initially, countries may not have the option to purchase expensive vaccines, but once production picks up in different locations, prices will drop,” he said.
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