India may get access to cheaper Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccines as compared to the UK and US, as the nation races to get its hands on effective vaccines after several foreign countries grant approval.
Pfizer's vaccine, at $37 per dose, was not one of the major vaccine candidates for the country due to its steep pricing and possible issues with cold storage.
However, a Pfizer India spokesperson told Business Standard that the company would price the vaccine "in a way that can help governments ensure there is little or no out-of-pocket costs for their population."
"Our vaccine approach is based on the principle of ensuring broad access and supplies to governments... Committed to engaging with the government of India and exploring opportunities to make this vaccine available for use in the country," he said.
Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is the first one to be given emergency use authorisation by the UK, US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Israel. At present, Indian regulators are considering three vaccines for emergency use authorisation, including those from Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech.
However, India does not have the cold chain infrastructure for the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a storage temperature of -75 degrees Celsius.
Analysts estimate that India may buy about 680 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, which means it would spend about $1.9 billion if the vaccine was priced at $3 per dose. Pfizer's vaccine at $37 per dose, would up the price by 12 times to a whopping $22.8 billion.
Quoting officials, the report added that as of yet no vaccine player has quoted a final offer for the India market.
DH could not independently verify the report.
(With agency inputs)
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