New Delhi: Global pharma main Pfizer on Thursday (April 22) provided to provide vaccines at a “not-for-profit” price for the government immunisation programme in India. It additionally expressed that it could proceed its engagement with the government to make the vaccine out there in the nation, mentioned a report.
The firm additionally mentioned throughout the pandemic section it would provide the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine only through government contracts.
In an e-mail response to PTI, the pharma firm mentioned, “Pfizer remains committed to continuing our engagement with the Government towards making the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine available for use in the government’s immunization programme in the country.”
As said earlier, Pfizer will prioritise supporting governments in their immunisation programmes and provide the COVID-19 vaccine only through government contracts primarily based on agreements with respective government authorities and following regulatory authorisation or approvals, mentioned the assertion.
Pfizer, nevertheless, didn’t reveal the ‘not-for-profit’ price that it has prompt to the government. The firm is dedicated to working for equitable and reasonably priced entry for its vaccine the world over, the Pfizer spokesperson reportedly mentioned.
“… In all our agreements Pfizer has adopted a distinct pricing structure for high, middle, and low/lower-middle-income countries consistent with our commitment to work towards equitable and affordable access for our COVID-19 vaccine for people around the world,” PTI quoted the spokesperson as saying.Â
Notably, the corporate costs $19.5 per dose from the US government to provide the vaccine. The European Union, nevertheless, is beneath talks with Pfizer/BioNTech for a brand new contract for 1.8 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to be delivered in 2022 and 2023.
In the EU, Pfizer has considerably elevated costs of its vaccine over the previous few months — from 12 euros to fifteen.5 euros after which 19.5 euros ($23) per dose for orders in 2022-23.
Further, the National Vaccine Strategy goals at liberalised vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine protection. This would increase vaccine manufacturing in addition to availability, incentivising vaccine producers to quickly ramp up manufacturing in addition to appeal to new vaccine producers, home and worldwide, mentioned an official assertion from the Health Ministry.
Earlier on Monday, the Centre introduced that everybody above 18 years of age could be eligible to get vaccinated towards COVID-19 from May 1. The government, subsequently, liberalised the vaccination drive to permit states, non-public hospitals and industrial institutions to obtain the vaccine doses straight from producers.
Under the third section of the vaccination drive, the vaccine producers would provide 50 per cent of their month-to-month Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) launched doses to the central government and could be free to provide the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open markets.Â
(With Agency Inputs)
