PFIZER OFFERS NOT-FOR-PROFIT VACCINE PRICE TO INDIAN GOVT
NEW DELHI: US drugmaker Pfizer on Thursday said it has offered a not-for-profit price for its Covid-19 vaccine to the Indian government for the immunisation programme in the country. The pharma giant, however, did not reveal the price that it has suggested to the government.
“...in all our agreements Pfizer has adopted a distinct pricing structure for high, middle, and low/lower-middle-income countries,” the drugmaker said in a statement on Wednesday. “For India, Pfizer has offered a notfor-profit price for its vaccine for the government immunization program,” it added.
The company also said that during the pandemic phase it will supply the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine only through government contracts.
NEW DELHI: US pharma major Pfizer said on Thursday that it had offered a not-for-profit price for its vaccine to the government and was in talks with the administration to deploy its jab for India’s Covid-19 immunisation programme.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine has been widely used in the United States and Europe for inoculations large populations and has a tested efficacy of around 95%.
It was initially administered as a two-dose vaccine but the company said last week that people may need a third dose within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.
“For India, Pfizer has offered a not-for-profit price for its vaccine for the government immunisation program. We continue to be in discussions with the government and remain committed to make our vaccine available for deployment in India’s immunisation program,” a statement by the company read.
The company said that it was interested in working exclusively with the government.
“During the current pandemic situation worldwide, Pfizer has maintained that its priority would be to exclusively support governments through supply of its vaccine only to governments for their immunisation programs. This would be our approach in India as well,” the statement added.
On April 13, India announced that Covid-19 vaccines cleared for use in the US, the UK, the European Union, and Japan will get fast-track approval in India, and would not need prior bridging trial results to seek emergency use authorization (EUA). The trials can be done in parallel to administering the shots to the general population..
The move is expected to potentially boost India’s pandemic response when it has recorded the world’s worst surge in infections.
At present, there are vaccines by three companies that are approved by regulators identified by the government and are yet to be authorised in India: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson&Johnson. A fourth vaccine, made by Novavax, has made progress in clinical trials and sought approval from several of these regulators.
Pfizer said it will continue talks with the Indian government on the matter.
“We have noted the recent announcement with regard to the regulatory pathway for global vaccines. We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the government towards making the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine available for use in the government’s immunisation program in the country.”