India Likely To Have 200 Million Vaccines By June: Reports

Mumbai: The supply of jabs is expected to increase from June, Vaccine manufacturers in India are planning to ramp up production after the government announced liberalising of the procurement process and making everyone above the age of 18 eligible for jabs.

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Vaccine makers were told in a meeting with PM Modi to increase production capacity. Adar Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India (SII) is expected to increase production by May with an increase in production capacity on Tuesday.

By June supply of jabs in India is expected to increase up to 200 million with an increase in production from SII and Bharat Biotech and taking into account imports from Sputnik. It currently stands at 70 million.

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The government also asked states and private hospitals to negotiate prices with vaccine manufacturers. In return, manufacturers have requested the government to fix the price of jabs to make them globally competitive.

However, Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said it will increase production to 700 million Covid-19 vials and plans to export the vaccine to 60 countries. It kept a price of $15-20 vial for the international market.

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In India, on average, the cost of a vaccine dose is likely to be between Rs 500–1,000 per vial. This will be the maximum retail price, which includes the true margin and the manufacturer approximately Rs 650 per dose.

Phase 3 of the National Vaccine Strategy, would come into effect from May 1, 2021. Under the same, vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50% doses to state governments and in the open market.

Meanwhile, Manufacturers would transparently make an advance declaration of the price for 50% supply that would be available to state governments and in the open market before May 1, 2021.

Based on this price, state governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments etc would be able to procure vaccine doses from the manufacturers.

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