COVID-19 vaccine in final stages of receiving approval in India: Pfizer CEO

Drug maker Pfizer is in final stages of getting approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in India, the company's CEO Albert Bourla has said. "I hope very soon we will finalise an agreement with the government," Bourla said while speaking at the 15th Annual BioPharma & Healthcare Virtual Summit of USA India Chamber of Commerce.

Pfizer is holding talks with the Indian government for supplying its COVID-19 vaccine to the country. The company co-developed the two-shot COVID-19 vaccine, called BNT162b2, along with its German partner BioNTech.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine may be priced under $10 (around Rs 730) per dose in India, which would be the lowest price for the mRNA-based jab globally, and almost half of the rate in developed markets such as the UK, US and EU.

The vaccine costs $19.5 (Rs 1,423) per dose in US, and around $21 (Rs 1,532) per dose in UK. In the EU, the jab was priced at about $18.9 per dose earlier, but price negotiations are in progress for a higher rate of $23.2 (Rs 1,693) per dose.

The US pharma giant has indicated availability of 5 crore vaccine doses -- 1 crore in July, 1 crore in August, 2 crore in September and 1 crore in October -- for supply to India in 2021. Besides, it has said it will deal only with the Government of India (GoI) and payment for vaccines will have to be made by GoI to Pfizer India.

The company has also asked for indemnification from the central government. Further, the company has sought certain relaxations in the regulatory regime, including relaxation in requirement of post-approval bridging trials and dispensing the requirement of testing the vaccines in CDL (Central Drugs Laboratory).

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