In the midst of ongoing speculations amongst researchers across the globe that have been making great inroads into developing coronavirus vaccines, Serum Institute of India CEO, Adar Poonawalla has disclosed information on how much the vaccine could cost in India.
Serum Institute of India had pledged to manufacture 1 billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jointly formed COVID-19 vaccine and accordingly has already stated that the human trials in India would begin next month whereas the production for the same could start as early as first quarter next year.
Poonawalla had stated that the vaccine would be made affordable by keeping the cost under Rs 1,000. We will keep it under Rs 1,000, Poonawalla had stated on the subject of the price for the vaccine, “having said that, our aim is to provide an efficacious and affordable vaccine. We are certain that it will be procured and distributed by governments without charge.”
Also, he further added, “the vaccine developed by Oxford University is a viral vector type that uses a harmless virus to deliver the genetic material of a pathogen into cells, which is then supposed to create an immune response against the original pathogen. A chimpanzee adenovirus (a common cold virus) has been used by Gilbert and her team to be the carrier. Tricking the immune system to fight back COVID-19, the harmless virus has been inserted with the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ genetic material.”
The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca had released the data for the initial trials of the vaccine that has now reached its third phase of the trial. Several other vaccine candidates are under trials in India and across the world.
