Serum Institute to provide COVID vaccine at Rs. 250 a dose

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Serum Institute of India (SII) has inked a pact with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, to make 100 million doses of a potential vaccine. This is for low- and medium-income countries, and with a price cap of Rs 250 a dose.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, via its Strategic Investment Fund, will provide at-risk funding of $150 million to Gavi for supporting SII in the manufacture, the company noted.

Priced at $3 a dose, the vaccines will be made available in 92 countries, including India. These are those included in Gavi’s Covax Advance Market Commitment (AMC).

Covax is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) — which is managed by Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) — to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine.