New Delhi: The Central government has reportedly asked vaccine manufacturers in India to slash the price of the immunization drug.
Neither the Ministry of Health nor the manufacturers, however, confirmed the move to reduce the price of the vaccine.
The Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are currently in use in the country. The government’s intervention came ahead of expanding the vaccination drive to include all adults from May 1.
A controversy has been raging in the country after the government had allowed firms to fix the price of their drugs. A vaccine challenge, prompting people to donate to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, was launched in Kerala.
A meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday. The Central government was learned to have approached the manufacturers with the demand to slash the prices after the meeting.
The Serum Institute has fixed the price at Rs 400 a dose of Covishield for state governments and Rs 600 a dose for private hospitals. Bharat Biotech fixed Covaxin’s rate at Rs 600 a dose for state governments and Rs 1,200 a dose for private hospitals.
Both the firms have been providing their vaccines at Rs 150 a dose to the Central government.
