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BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese city is offering Sinovac Biotech’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine to essential workers and other high-risk groups as part of a national program for around $ 60 (£ 46).
The center for disease control and prevention (CDC) in the eastern city of Jiaxin said in a statement on WeChat that two doses of the candidate vaccine, called CoronaVac, will cost 200 yuan (£ 23) per dose and that the vaccines for key groups, including medical professionals has started.
Chinese authorities to date have not released pricing details for potential COVID-19 vaccines. Hundreds of thousands of people have received experimental vaccines in late-stage trials as part of an emergency inoculation program launched in July.
It was unclear whether the Jiaxin City prices include subsidies. The city’s CDC declined to comment.
Sinovac did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its vaccine is in late-stage trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey, and the company has said an interim analysis of the Phase 3 trial data could arrive as early as November.
Bio Farma, an Indonesian state-owned company that has settled for at least 40 million doses of Sinovac, said this week that the vaccine will cost around 200,000 rupees (£ 10.54) per dose when available in the country’s Southeast Asian.
China has said that while reasonable profits are allowed for companies, COVID-19 vaccines should be priced close to cost.
The China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) said in August that a candidate vaccine developed by one unit cannot cost more than 1,000 yuan for two injections. However, an official with China’s National Health Commission said the price will be lower.
(Reported by Roxanne Liu and Tony Munroe in Beijing. Additional reporting by Kate Lamb; edited by Sayantani Ghosh and Edwina Gibbs)
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