Zydus Cadila agrees to reduce price of each dose of its Covid-19 vaccine to ₹265

Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, the company behind ZyCoV-D, one of India’s two indigenous coronavirus vaccines (Covid-19), has reportedly agreed to reduce the price of each dose of the vaccine to $265. The manufacturer had previously proposed a price of 1900 for the regimen, which consists of three doses and has yet to be included in the nationwide immunisation drive, which began on January 16 of this year.

“The company has brought down the price to ₹265 for each dose. Additionally, ₹93 will be charged as the cost of a disposable jet applicator. This was achieved after repeated negotiations with the central government. A final decision in this matter is likely to be taken this week,” news agency PTI quoted officials familiar with developments as saying.

The need for a painless jet applicator stems from the fact that ZyCoV-D is a needle-free vaccine. The three doses have to be given on days 0, 28 and 56 respectively; each round of vaccination will see the jab being administered in both the arms.

ZyCoV-D, which received clearance from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on August 20, is the only vaccine to have been approved for an age group below 18, as it was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the top drugs regulator for beneficiaries aged 12 and above. At present, every citizen who is 18-years-old or above is eligible for the vaccination drive.

Besides ZyCoV-D, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited’s Covaxin is the only other jab to have been recommended by the Subject Experts Committee (SEC) to the DCGI. Covaxin, which is the country’s first indigenous anti-Covid shot, is among the two most widely used vaccines in the inoculation drive, Covishield being the other.

Thus far, the DCGI has give emergency use approval to six jabs. Among these, two are home-made, while the remaining are foreign-developed.