Various states have objected to profiteering during such a major crisis, so the central government has ordered the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to decrease the costs of their COVID-19 vaccines on Monday.
A briefing chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba addressed the problem of vaccine pricing.
The two firms are also set to announce new vaccine prices.
Bharat Biotech of Hyderabad has set the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, for state governments at 600 per dose and private hospitals at 1,200 per dose.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), headquartered in Pune, is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by amount, and has set a price of $400 per dose for state governments and $600 per dose for private hospitals for its COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed “Covishield.”
The central government has access to all vaccines at a cost of $150 per dose.
Many states have raised concerns about vaccine costs, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declaring that now is not the time for profiteering.
India has declared that its COVID-19 vaccine campaign will be expanded beginning May 1, enabling its vast population of people aged 18 and up to be vaccinated.
The Opposition and many states have protested that the prices charged by the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech for vaccines are exorbitant, putting an enormous financial pressure on states.
The vaccine makers have also been chastised by the states for potentially seeking to benefit from a major health problem. They also argued that state governments and the federal government should pay the same amount.
The Centre had previously stated that vaccine producers would have to declare the price for the 50% supply that would be applicable to state governments and on the free market in advance.
The present situation is exceedingly dire; the virus is continuously mutating as the population remains at risk,” it added, emphasizing that the organization must ensure long-term viability. Since recognizing the complexity, we must ensure long-term viability in order to invest in scaling up and extending our capacity to combat the pandemic and save lives.
