New Delhi: When the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented crisis, came at us triggering months of lockdowns, mask mandates and exposing the toppling health infrastructure of developed nations, vaccines were seen as the only hope out of that dead-end health emergency. Soon after, the countries went into an unsaid competition to develop vaccines against coronavirus with major players like the US, Russia, China and the UK in the race. In December 2020, WHO gave emergency approval to the first Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech. Later, in April 2021, the health body authorised the Moderna vaccine making it the fifth vaccine against novel coronavirus.
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At the time, India was not even seen as a contender but the country, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with the capable expertise of pharma bigwigs and experts, came up with an indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine COVAXIN and soon after Covishield, prepared by India’s Serum Institute with AstraZeneca.
Today, while both Pfizer and Moderna are facing allegations of pandemic profiteering, India in addition to vaccinating over 90 per cent of its population for free or at a highly subsidized price is also exporting free Covid-19 vaccine under its Vaccine Maitri programme.
Recently, Moderna indicated that a 400 per cent price hike might be on the cards. This comes at a time when China is reportedly witnessing its worst outbreak while the US is seeing a winter surge.
The Wall Street Journal in a report stated that Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel while speaking at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco talked of the 400 per cent price hike adding that this type of pricing is consistent with the value.
If Moderna goes ahead with this price hike it would match the previously announced price hike for Pfizer-BioNTech’s rival Covid-19 vaccine.
Covid vaccination in the US
Until now, it was the federal government obtaining vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and offered to Americans for free. In the latest revision in the federal contract, Moderna’s booster shot cost the government $26 per dose up from $15–$16 per dose from July, the WSJ noted. Similarly, the government paid a little over $30 per dose for Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine this past summer, up from $19.50 per dose in contracts from 2020.
However, US officials have said that after the summer contract runs out, the companies could switch to the commercial distribution of vaccines. So, if Moderna really goes through the price hike, one dose of the vaccine would cost $110 and $130.
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India’s vaccine cheapest in the world: Government
The Indian government last year said that the two Covid-19 vaccines available in India are just a fourth of the price of the cheapest in the world. At the time when India rolled out its vaccination programme, Covishield was priced at Rs 200 and Covaxin at Rs 295 a dose. How
Apart, Bharat Biotech also provided 16.5-lakh doses free of cost to the government.
Vaccine Maitri programme
Apart from India’s internal distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, the country launched a Vaccine Maitri programme with the aim to provide medical and other assistance, to over 150 countries since the beginning of the pandemic.
Since the start of the Vaccine Maitri Programme in January 2021, India has supplied 723.435 lakh doses of Covid vaccine to 94 countries and 2 UN entities in the form of grants, commercial export or through COVAX till November 2021.
India said NO to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
Amid talks of a comprehensive contract with Pfizer, Reuters quoting Indian officials reported that the government said it will not buy Covid-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna mainly because the domestic output of more affordable and easier-to-store vaccines has jumped.
The move was hailed as a smart step in India’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which won global appreciation for a meticulous vaccination programme and its policies to provide medical assistance to other developing nations.
