Govt places order worth Rs 14.5kcr for 660m jabs | Economic Times

The Centre ordered 660 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech at a cost of Rs 14,505.75 crore for supply between August and December, putting the government on course to meet a pledge made to the Supreme Court. Apart from this, 220 million doses will be available to the private sector. The government is aiming to get 375 million doses of SII’s Covishield and 285 million of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin over the next five months.This is in line with projections made by the health ministry’s affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on June 25. The Centre had said India will have access to 1.35 billion Covid vaccine doses through December, which would be enough to cover the eligible adult population of the country. This estimate included 500 million Covishield doses, 400 million of Covaxin, 300 million of Biological E’s subunit vaccine, 50 million of Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine and 100 million Sputnik V doses.The fresh order has been placed by the government at Rs 215.25 per dose for Covishield and Rs 225.75 for Covaxin, inclusive of GST. This is more than the unit cost of Rs 157.50 that the government had been buying the vaccines at from both the manufacturers. Bharat Biotech had said last month: “The supply price of Covaxin to the government of India at Rs 150 per dose is a non-competitive price and clearly not sustainable in the long run.” Both vaccine manufacturers have been supplying at a higher rate to private sector hospitals.84461282The Centre has already finalised arrangements with Biological E to reserve 300 million of its Corbevax vaccine doses. “The government has already done advance booking at a payment of Rs 1,500 crore for Corbevax,” said a senior official. With this order, the government is poised to fulfil the commitment it gave in the SC affidavit.Going by the new order placed, 500 million doses of Covishield will be manufactured till December, of which the Centre will get 375 million. About 380 million Covaxin doses will be produced, of which the Centre will get 285 million.