SII partners with vaccine developers for 100mn doses

This is the first deal to secure doses for India and 91 other countries

SII WILL RECEIVE $150 MILLION TO PRODUCE 100 MILLION DOSES OF A POSSIBLE COVID-19 VACCINE BY THE FIRST HALF OF 2021 AND OFFER IT AT $3 (₹225) FOR A SHOT

NEW DELHI: Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) announced on Friday that it has partnered with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of two Covid-19 vaccine candidates, the first deal yet to secure doses for India as well as 91 other low- and middle-income countries.

The deal involves SII – the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer -- receiving $150 million to produce 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by the first half of 2021 and offer it at $3 (roughly ₹225) for a shot.

The Serum Institute has partnered with the developers of two potential vaccines – UK’S Oxfordastrazeneca and United States’ Novavax. The UK vaccine is largely considered the front-runner, having proven to be effective and safe in large human trials.

Under the partnership, BMGF will provide US$150 million to Gavi to support SII for manufacturing one or both of the vaccines to be distributed under a fair-access mechanism developed by the World Health Organization. The mechanism, called Covax, has till now seen 78 well-off countries expressing interest to fund acquisition and distribution of the vaccines among them as well as 92 low- and middle-income countries.

Which vaccines will finally be produced depends on the results of the clinical trials underway, and the regulatory approvals that will need to be secured. Subsequently, GAVI will procure these for US$3 or less for 92 LMICS included in Gavi’s COVAX advance market commitment, with an option of obtaining additional doses, if needed.

In all, there are six vaccine candidates in phase III trials with the frontrunners expected to show conclusive signs of viability by the end of 2020 or early 2021. Several of these developers have entered into separate deals with countries.

The Union health ministry on July 30 said India is yet to enter into any such deals and will first wait for more clarity on an effective vaccine from among the candidates.

“Making sure everyone has access to them (safe and effective vaccines for Covid-19), as soon as possible will require tremendous manufacturing capacity and a global distribution network. This collaboration gives the world some of both: the power of India’s manufacturing sector and Gavi’s supply chain,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in a statement.

“To ensure maximum immunisation coverage and contain the pandemic, it is important to make sure that the most remote and poorest countries of the world have access to affordable cure and preventive measures. Through this association, we seek to ramp up our constant efforts to save the lives of millions of people from this dreadful disease,” said Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India, which is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, in an email.

“The vaccines will cost a maximum of $3 per dose, but the pricing will ultimately depend on which product is procured. We cannot guarantee a price until the regulatory and procurement processes are complete, according to the vaccine-manufacturer,” SII said.

SII produces 60% of the world’s vaccines that are used across the world, and Gavi has been a key procurer, having bought vaccines against meningitis, severe diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles for LMICS.

Apart from the 100 million doses being procured by GAVI, Astrazeneca reached a licensing agreement with SII to supply one billion doses for LMICS by the end of 2020. On July 30, SII also partnered with Us-based Novavax for exclusive rights for development, distribution, and commercialisation of its Covid-19 vaccine in India, and non-exclusive rights in LMICS during the ‘pandemic period,’ as defined by WHO.

“It’s encouraging to see an Indian vaccine manufacturer collaborate with global partners to provide affordable Covid-19 vaccines for India and the world. Normally, it would take more than a decade to develop such a vaccine but with the efforts of our researchers, academia and private sector, and global collaborators, we are hopeful of accelerating the availability of a successful vaccine at reasonable cost and in sufficient quantities,” said K Vijayraghavan, principal scientific adviser to the Government of India.