Covid vaccine should be available for public by April 2021: Serum Institute CEO

By TOI

PTI | Nov 20, 2020, 09:38 IST

NEW DELHI: Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawalla on Thursday said the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for health care workers and elderly people by around February 2021 an by a April for the general public, and will be priced at a maximum of ₹1000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals.

Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated, he said at the Hindustan Times leadership summit, 2020.

“It will probably take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, not just because of the supply constraints but because you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine. So these are the factors that lead up to being able to vaccinate 80 to 90% of the population.

“It will be 2024 for everybody, if willing to take two-dose vaccine, to be vaccinated,” Poonawalla said.

Asked at what price the public will get it, he said it will be around USD 5-6 per dose with an MRP of around ₹1000 for the two necessary doses.

“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 and get access to the price that is similar to what COVAX has got. We are still pricing it far cheaper and more affordable then other vaccines we have in the market today,” Poonawalla said.

Asked about the efficiency of the vaccine, he said the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is so far providing to work very well even in elderly people, which was earlier.

“It has induced a good T-cell response, which is an indicator for your long-term immunity and antibody response but then again, time will only tell if these vaccines are going to protect you in the long term. Nobody can answer that for any of the vaccines today,” Poonawalla said.

Responding to a question on the safety aspect, he said there has been no major complaints, reactions or adverse events, adding,” We would need to wait and see. The efficiency and immunogenicity results from the Indian trials will come out in about a month and a half.”

Asked when the SII will apply for an emergency authorization, Poonawalla said as soon as the UK authorities and the European Medicines Evolution Agency approve it for emergency use, it will apply to the drug controller for emergency use authorization in India.

“But that will be for a limited use for frontline workers, health care workers and elderly people,” he added.

Children would have to wait a little longer till the safety data is out, but be good news is that COVID-19 is not so bad and serious for them, Poonawalla said.

“Unlike measles when pneumonia, which is deadly, this disease is seeming to be less of a nuisance for children but then, they can be carriers and can give the infection to others.

“We want to vaccinate the elderly people and others who are the most vulnerable first. Once we have enough safety data to go in on children, we can recommend it for children too,” he said. Poonawalla said Oxford vaccine is affordable, safe and stored at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for it to be stored in the cold storages is of India.

He said the SII plans to make about 100 million doses per month from February.