Pfizer To Supply Its Covid-19 Vaccine Only Through Government Channels In India: Report

United States-based global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has reportedly decided to supply its Covid-19 vaccine in India only through the government channels.

The development comes as the Modi government has announced the liberalisation of its Covid-19 vaccination strategy to allow vaccine-makers to charge states and private hospitals a potentially higher rate for their vaccines.

The US pharma giant would supply its vaccine “only through government contracts based on agreements with respective government authorities and following regulatory authorisation or approval”, a Pfizer spokesperson was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

The company has reportedly said that it would stick to its decision to prioritise governments in their immunisation programmes “during this pandemic phase”.

It should be noted that Pfizer has applied for emergency use approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in December but withdrew the application in February after expert panel under the Indian drug regulator raised safety concerns and asked it to conduct local bridging trials in the country to prove safety of the vaccine in Indian population.

Pfizer and BioNTech have developed an mRNA based Covid-19 vaccine which has around 95 per cent efficacy against the Coronavirus.