New Delhi: Pfizer said its mRNA vaccine will be priced to help the Indian government ensure supply with little to no out-of-pocket costs for people when the immunization program begins.
“We will set the price in a way that can help governments ensure there are little or no out-of-pocket costs for their populations. We remain committed to working with the government of India and exploring opportunities to make this vaccine available for use in the country, “Pfizer said in a statement.
However, the government has so far shown no interest in acquiring the company’s vaccine despite meetings between its management and government officials, a source familiar with the matter said. Part of the hesitancy in government stems from the ultra-low -70 degrees Celsius storage conditions required for the vaccine.
Pfizer, for its part, has said it will organize logistics, including cold storage, for its vaccine. In a statement earlier this month, the company said its “specially designed and temperature controlled thermal conveyors, in which the doses will arrive, can be used as temporary storage units.”
The shipper maintains the storage condition -70 ° C ± 10 ° C for 10 days unopened, allowing for worldwide transport to ensure all patients have access. In hospitals, the vaccine can be stored for five days in refrigerated conditions of 2-8 ° C.
The company said that its price in India, as in other countries, will vary depending on the advance commitment made by the government and the volumes it obtains, as well as “fairness and affordability.” In the United States, the company has priced the vaccine at $ 19.5 ₹1,440) per dose.
While Pfizer has not stated its price for India, the cost in the US is more than six times the $ 3 per dose that the Serum Institute of India is expected to charge the government for Covishield, its version of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca plc and the University of Oxford.
The government is counting on the Serum Institute’s launch of Covishield next month, along with indigenous vaccines from Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila and Russia’s Sputnik V for its mass vaccinations. All four vaccines require only 2-8 degrees Celsius under normal storage conditions, and except for the three-dose injection of Zydus, all the others are two-dose vaccines.
Pfizer, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have approached the Comptroller General of Drugs of India, VG Somani, to obtain an emergency license for their vaccine. However, Pfizer sought more time from an independent committee of subject matter experts tasked with examining the proposals, while the panel asked the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to return with more data.
According to an official from the central regulatory body of the Organization for Standard Control of Medicines, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have not yet submitted new submissions and so far Pfizer has been given another hearing date.
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