Several COVID-19 vaccine candidates approach end-state human clinical trials in India. They are likely to be available in the country for the general public from July 2021.
Many state governments have announced that when a vaccine is ready, the citizens would get it for free.
There are also reports saying that it may take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, after the initial roll-out of vaccines, because of the supply, storage, and logistical constraints.
As we anticipate eagerly the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine, here are the details on how much different vaccines could cost for the public in the private market, as many companies have spoken about rough estimates on their pricing.
The following are tentative costs as no company has yet finalised on its Covid-19 vaccine price. There will be clarity on pricing only after their vaccine candidates arrive at distribution stage.
How much will Serum Institute of India’s Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine cost?
Rs1,000 for the two doses
Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate will be sold as Covishield in India.
Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on November 20, 2020, said the the British drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine should be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by around February 2021 and by April for the general public, and will be priced at a maximum of ₹1,000 for two necessary doses for the public.
Poonawalla said the government of India will be getting it at a far cheaper price at around USD 3-4, because it will be buying in a large volume.
How much will Covax cost?
Rs.250-300 in India afer AstraZeneca’s Covax deal vaccine
AstraZeneca has agreed to make the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis. The biotechnology company, which tested its vaccine across the globe, said their vaccine should cost less because of its commitment to COVAX, a global initiative that aims to distribute low-cost vaccines to low-and middle-income countries, including India.
The price of each vaccine shot could be between Rs.250-300 in India.
How much will Novavax cost?
Novavax below Rs 250 per dose
Serum Institute of India, Pune, will introduce Covid-19 vaccine candidate Novavax, a Maryland company, at less than Rs 250 per dose in India.
The Pune-based institute would offer up to 100 million doses for low and middle-income countries, including India. The vaccine will be available from June 2021 in 92 countries after getting necessary approvals from the the World Health Organization (WHO).
The collaboration between SII, Gavi and the Gates Foundation supports the efforts of the vaccine accelerator, also known as COVAX
How much will Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin cost?
Price could be well below Rs. 100
Bharat Biotech International Executive Director Sai Prasad announced on November 1, 2020 that after the efficacy and safety data on their last stage of trials comes out, they aim to launch the Covaxin in Q2 of 2020-21.
On August 4, 2020, when speaking about the cost of Covaxin, Dr Krishna Ella, MD, claimed that “water bottle costs five times more than our vaccine", and soon after there were reports that Covaxin will be supplied at a price well below Rs 100.
But, in November, Executive Director Sai Prasad said the price of the vaccine is yet to be determined, as the company is still looking at the cost of product development.
How much will Dr Reddy’s SputnikV vaccine cost?
Single shot of the vaccine between Rs 500-750
Russia’s SputnikV vaccine had already arrived in India after the trials there. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will be completing phase two trials of Covid vaccine candidate Sputnik V in December.
According to Dr Reddy’s, the phase-III trials of Sputnik are likely to be completed by March–May, 2020.
A single shot of the vaccine could cost the public somewhere between Rs. 500-750.
How much will Pfizer coronavirus vaccine cost?
$20 per dose for international market
In November 2020, there were reports of US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech charging $20 per dose for their vaccine for international market. It consists of two injections 21 days apart.
How much will Moderna cost?
Its mRNA vaccine tentatively Rs 2,700 for single shot
United States-based pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc. which is preparing for launch of its mRNA Covid-19 vaccine globally has estimated that the cost of its vaccine could be Rs 2,700 for a single dose.
