Government asks manufacturers to indicate potential prices of COVID-19 vaccines

The Central government has asked vaccine manufacturers indicate potential prices of COVID vaccines as they enter the clinical trial stage, an official said on Tuesday. 

Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog said while one vaccine is in the stage of phase-3 trials, the other two are also progressing well and are in the phase 1-2 of clinical trials.

"We have reviewed all these vaccine candidates. These are progressing well and their developments are taking place in a reassuring manner," he said.

“The outline of vaccine administration and supply chain is ready. As and when required, detailed and micro-level planning for vaccine administration based on a scientific approach according to the characteristics of the vaccine will be adopted”, he added.

Stating that discussions are going on with the vaccine manufacturers, Dr Paul said the government has asked manufacturers to indicate what possible prices could be. 

“We requested the vaccine manufacturers to indicate what possible prices could be. Pricing is very complex as some of these vaccines are at an early stage. We have some insights into what the price range could be, but this is an information that will be refined as we move along," Dr Paul said.  

He further stated that the government held discussions with vaccine manufacturers to know about the facilitations they are expecting.  

He said that individual vaccine manufacturers have been requested to provide more clear-cut data on their individual production capacities and how their capacities would pan out with time, encouraging them very actively to ramp up capacity with facilitations. "This is a dialogue in motion". 

India has huge potential and capacity in vaccine manufacturing, he said. 

Earlier on Monday, National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration met leading domestic vaccine manufactures- Serum Institute of India, Pune; Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad; Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad; Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Pune; and Biological E, Hyderabad.

The meeting provided the National Expert Group with inputs about the present stage of various candidate vaccines being developed by the indigenous manufacturers as well as their expectations from the Union Government.