Coronavirus vaccine Covovax is now available for children in India, Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla said on May 3.
Covovax is the only vaccine manufactured in India that is also sold in Europe and has an efficacy of over 90 percent, Poonawalla said while making the announcement on Twitter.
The announcement comes days after the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) on April 29 recommended Covovax for use in 12-17-year-olds in India. This is the Indian version of the COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by the US-based Novavax.
Until now, only Covaxin by Bharat Biotech was offered for children in the 15–17-year age group. Kids in the 12-14-year age group were given Corbevax by Biological E.
A day after its Covid shot Covovax was included on the CoWIN portal for inoculation of children aged 12-17 years at private vaccination centres, the Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday reduced the price of each dose of the vaccine from Rs 900 to Rs 225, excluding taxes. Following the recommendation of the NTAGI the provision of the vaccine option was included on the portal on Monday.
On Tuesday, Director for Government and Regulatory Affairs, SII, Prakash Kumar Singh, is learnt to have communicated to the government that the firm is reducing the price of each dose from Rs 900 to Rs 225 plus goods and services tax (GST) for private hospitals. In addition, a private hospital can charge up to Rs 150 as service charge. The price of the vaccine, Covovax, is learnt to have been revised on the CoWIN portal.
India's drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 last year and in the 12-17 age group, subject to certain conditions, on March 9. Currently, children aged 12 to 14 years are vaccinated with Biological E's Corbevax, while those in the 15-18 age group are being administered Bharat Biotech's Covaxin free of cost at government vaccination centres. At private centres a dose of Covaxin costs Rs 386, including GST, while Corbevax costs Rs 990.
Notably, India’s drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 and in the 12 to 17 years age group subject to certain conditions on March 9.
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(With agency inputs)
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