The coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will be sold at USD 3-4 per shot (Rs 219-292)

New Delhi: The coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will be sold at USD 3-4 per shot (Rs 219-292) to the government and will be priced at double that rate in the private market once such sales open up, said the CEO of its Indian manufacturer on Monday.

Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has a licence to produce the shot in India and has already manufactured close to 50 million doses.

Covid-19 vaccine

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said that the company will start selling the vaccine (Covishield) to the Indian government and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) countries in the first stage, followed by the private market.

Indian drug regulator on Sunday approved Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country.

"We want the vaccine to be affordable and accessible to all. The government of India will receive it at a far more affordable price of USD 3-4, since they will be buying in a larger volume," he said.

Only after meeting their requirements, "the private market will open up where the pricing would be USD 6-8 per done," he said.

Covid-19 vaccineSII is likely to have 100 million doses in a month and will possibly double it by April. The government has indicated that it may need 300 million doses before July 2021, with frontline health workers and the elderly being given priority.

Poonawalla said SII is in touch with the government for the vaccine's procurement. "Initially, we will supply 50 million doses and we will get more confirmations over the course of the next few days," he added.

When asked if the company was negotiating bilateral agreements with other countries too for the vaccine, Poonawalla said, "We have bilateral partnerships with nations like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Morocco.”