Corbevax vax to cost Rs 990 in market, Rs 145 for govt
Corbevax, the first indigenously produced protein sub-unit vaccine rolled out for 12-14-year-olds on Wednesday by the government, will be priced at Rs 800 per dose in the market.
It will cost Rs 990 per dose (inclusive of GST and administration charges). Currently, it is only available in government Covid vaccination centres free of cost.
Making the announcement at a press conference on Wednesday, Mahima Datla, managing director, Biological E Limited, said the vaccine doses currently being supplied to the government are priced at Rs 145 per dose.
“Corbevax-induced immune response was indicative of over 90% effectiveness against the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2, and more than 80% in the case of the Delta strain based on the level of neutralising antibody titers,” said Vikram Paradkar, executive vice president, Biological E.
Corbevax vaccination generates antibody response that is highly persistent for more than six months post-vaccination, while other vaccines have shown a 70-90% drop in titers in a similar duration, he added.
The vaccine has been given emergency use authorisation (EUA) for children aged 12-18 years and adults from 18-80 years.
To date, 30 crore vaccines have been produced, the company said.
He went on to say that the vaccine has an excellent safety profile and minimal reactogenicity.
“No grade 3 or serious adverse events were seen in more than 3,500 subjects. Consistent cross-neutralisation and some of the highest neutralising antibody titers were reported against variants: Beta, Delta and Omicron,” he said.
On the assertion by Dr Jayaprakash Muliyel, member of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and epidemiologist that NTAGI never recommended use of Corbevax in 12-14-year-olds as no data was shared with them, the company said, at every level, data was shared with NTAGI.
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