<ul><li>Coronavirus vaccines by the <keyword id="150557" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="University-of-Oxford">University of Oxford</keyword> and China are in the most advanced clinical phase and likely the best choice for India according to <keyword id="6358361" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="biocon">Biocon</keyword> founder <keyword id="55796" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Mazumdar-Shaw">Kiran Mazumdar Shaw</keyword>. </li><li>The US <keyword id="8624004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</keyword> candidates may be more talked about but they will likely be much more expensive. </li><li>“We’re much more comfortable with a jab and a low-cost vaccine, which is what the Oxford and Chinese vaccines are all about,” explained Shaw. </li></ul>Biotechnology companies around the world are going head-to-head to create the <keyword id="9171829" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="first-coronavirus-vaccine">first coronavirus vaccine</keyword> as the ongoing pandemic continues to wreak havoc on normal life. Some have a headstart over others. “I think the Oxford vaccine and Chinese vaccine are certainly in the more advanced clinical phase as is the German vaccine. The two US vaccines are, of course, much talked about but we really don’t know whether these RNA vaccines will really work like they’re considered to,” Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw told Business Insider as a part of its special series ‘Hangout with BI’. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> From passive vaccines with RNA and DNA-based approaches to active vaccines, each has its pros and cons. “If you talk about mRNA vaccine, yes, there’s some advantage there but the issue with side-effects is also different,” explained <keyword id="9193157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ramanan-laxinarayan">Ramanan Laxinarayan</keyword>, the Director of Centre of Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP). According to him, the risk of vector-based vaccines in India is that there’s a strong possibility that people are already immune to certain adenoviruses because they’ve already been exposed to them. This results in the possibility that the vaccine won’t take. “Every idea out there, every platform has pluses and minuses,” he said. Ordinarily it takes at least five years to develop a viable vaccine. But in these unprecedented times, it’s possible that a solution could present itself in a matter of months. The front runners for a coronavirus vaccine The two US coronavirus vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer — in collaboration with Fosum and Germany's BioNTech — and Moderna, are based on the genetic material of DNA protein 'spike'. “The jury is out there to see if it’s really going to work and even if it does work, I don’t think that’s a vaccine that India will really benefit from because these are very expensive vaccines,” said Shaw. The ones in the US may not be the best for Indian patients The US coronavirus vaccine candidates need to be stored at -80 degrees Celsius and have to be delivered intravenously. “We’re much more comfortable with a jab and a low-cost vaccine, which is what the Oxford and Chinese vaccines are all about. These are more typical and conventional vaccines,” she explained. China has the lead closely followed by the Indian project underway at Oxford China is currently leading the charge to develop a coronavirus vaccine. <a href="https://www.who.int/who-documents-detail/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines">Cansino Biological</a> and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology are using an Ebola-based candidate to develop a adenovirus type 5 vector coronavirus vaccine, currently in Phase-1 and Phase-2 of clinical trials. Another Chinese candidate vaccine is being developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products in partnership with <keyword id="522337" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sinopharm">Sinopharm</keyword>, which is also conducting Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials simultaneously. Coming in second is the University of Oxford, which is using a non-replicating viral vector approach based on MERS, influenza, TB, chikungunya, Zika and others to develop its coronavirus vaccine. The Serum Institute of India (SII) — the world’s largest vaccine maker — is already manufacturing Oxford’s vaccine even though it doesn’t have approval yet. It's taking the risk of producing up to 400 million doses by the end of the year, if all goes well. Is India working on a coronavirus vaccine? Indian companies, including Biocon, have no intention of being left behind. They are also working on producing a coronavirus vaccine but it's going to take <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/biocon-chairperson-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-says-indias-covid-19-vaccines-will-enter-clinical-trial-in-9-months/articleshow/75591805.cms">at least nine months</a> before they’re able to get to a clinic, according to Shaw. “The government of India is asking large companies to help the small vaccine biotech companies expedite and advance their programs,” she said. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/biocon-chairperson-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-says-indias-covid-19-vaccines-will-enter-clinical-trial-in-9-months/articleshow/75591805.cms">Don’t hold your breath ⁠— Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw says India's Covid-19 vaccine will enter clinical trials in 9 months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/moderna-skyrockets-16-to-record-high-after-fda-clears-coronavirus-vaccine-for-phase-2-study/articleshow/75603580.cms">Moderna skyrockets 16% to record high after FDA clears coronavirus vaccine for phase 2 study</a>

There are a lot of coronavirus vaccines in the works⁠— but these are the two that Indians should watch out for

Hyderabad, Bharat Biotech has started direct supplies of its Covid-19 vaccine <keyword id="9485939" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="covaxin">Covaxin</keyword> to 14 states. The states are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, <keyword id="23412" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-Kashmir">Jammu &amp; Kashmir</keyword>, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, <keyword id="13126" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</keyword>, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The Hyderabad-based company said it started the supplies based on the allocations received by the <keyword id="6377129" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-of-india">Government of India</keyword>. "Requests have been received from other states, &amp; will be processed for distribution based on availability of stocks 24x7," tweeted Bharat Biotech co-founder and Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella. The company, however, has not come out with details of the supplies like the number of doses supplied to the states. Bharat Biotech on April 24 announced pricing for Covaxin. It fixed the price of Covaxin at ₹600 per dose for state governments. However, it later slashed the price to ₹400. This came after <keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII) cut the price of Covishield to ₹300 from ₹400 earlier. The two vaccine makers slashed the prices after the central government reportedly made a request to them amid the row over different pricing for the central and state governments. For private hospitals, Bharat Biotech fixed the price at ₹1,200 per dose. This is twice the cost fixed for Covishield. For exports, Bharat Biotech has priced India's first indigenous Covid vaccine at $15-$20 (₹1,125-1,500). Ever since the launch of Covid vaccination programme in India, Bharat Biotech and SII have been supplying their vaccines to the Centre at ₹150 per dose. While Bharat Biotech is likely to continue the supplies to the Centre at the same price, SII is seeking to revise this to ₹400. Both Bharat Biotech and SII have announced that they are reserving 50 per cent of their production capacities for supplies to the central government. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/this-ev-startup-mobycy-went-from-solving-last-mile-commute-to-delivery/articleshow/82513392.cms">It took one pivot and five years for this EV startup founder to hit the sweet spot for business in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/clubhouse-android-download-release-date-beta-version/articleshow/82515109.cms">Clubhouse for Android finally launched as downloads and hype take a plunge</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/bandhan-bank-share-price-falls-after-reporting-an-80-fall-in-its-net-profit/articleshow/82516642.cms">Bandhan Bank falls 4% after reporting an 80% fall in its net profit – positive market trends help it bounce back into the green</a>

Bharat Biotech begins COVAXIN supply to 14 states based on central government's guidance

New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Even as the Central government preps up to roll out the coronavirus vaccination drive soon, about 60 per cent of people are hesitant to take it due to the fear of side effects, efficacy and reduction in cases, a survey revealed on Friday. The survey holds importance at a time when questions are being raised on both the safety and efficacy of the vaccines being developed at a phenomenal rate as the world struggles to find a silver bullet to end its pandemic woes. The big question is, how many Indians are ready to take the vaccine? To throw light on the issue of citizens' reluctance or hesitancy to get the vaccine, 'LocalCircles' has been collecting citizens' response to the question since October. In a survey conducted between October 15 and 20, 61 per cent of participants expressed hesitancy in getting the vaccine. In the passing weeks, vaccine makers - Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca - gave hope to the world with their success on efficacy results. With the news, the aggregate percentage of citizens in India hesitant about the vaccine reduced by 2 per cent to 59 per cent in the survey conducted from November 23-28. Citizens' reluctance to get the COVID-19 vaccine was compared with previously conducted surveys on the subject to understand the change over time. In the aftermath of several developments in place and the possibility of an affordable vaccine by February 2021, LocalCircles decided to conduct another survey on the subject to understand if citizen's hesitancy levels have reduced, increased or been maintained. The survey received more than 18,000 responses from citizens across 242 districts of India. 66 per cent respondents were men and 34 per cent were women. 55 per cent respondents were from tier 1, 26 per cent from tier 2, and 19 per cent were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. The first question on willingness to take the vaccine received 9,458 responses from citizens. Of whom, four per cent said, "I am a healthcare worker and will get it on priority through the Government", while 27 per cent said, "Will wait 3-6 months after it comes to get it". 15 per cent respondents said that they will wait for 6-12 months after it comes whereas eight per cent said that they will take it in 2022 and six per cent said that they will not take it at all. However, five per cent said that they will take it as quickly as it is available via private healthcare channels, 22 per cent said that they will take it once it is available via any healthcare channels and 13 per cent were not sure about taking it or not. The aggregate percentage of responses indicated that 69 per cent Indians still will not rush to take the vaccine even if it is available in the near future. The percentage of citizens hesitant was 61 per cent in October, dropped to 59 per cent in November, and rose to 69 per cent in December 2020. From the discussion, it appears some of the key reasons for citizens to become hesitant are limited information about side-effects, efficacy levels and a growing belief in parts of the population that Covid-19 cannot infect them because of their high immunity levels. As many as eight Covid vaccine candidates are under different stages of clinical trials which could be ready for authorization in near future, including three indigenous vaccines. It includes AstraZeneca and Oxford university developed and Serum Institute of India manufactured Covishield, Covaxin by Bharat Biotech Limited, ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila, Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik-V, NVX-CoV2373 by SII, HGCO19 by Geneva, and two unlabeled vaccines-Recombinant Protein Antigen based vaccine by Biological E Limited-and Inactivated rabies vector platform by Bharat Biotech. --IANS aka/rt

Side effects, efficacy reasons for vaccine hesitancy in India

<keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII), which makes the most used COVID-19 <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> in the country, on Saturday defended pricing <keyword id="9617748" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="covishield">Covishield</keyword> vaccine at 1.5 times the initial rate, saying the earlier price was based on advance funding and now it has to invest in scaling up and expanding capacity to produce more shots. The world's largest vaccine maker, which manufactures <keyword id="9605255" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxford-astrazeneca">Oxford-AstraZeneca</keyword> vaccine at Pune, earlier this week announced a price of ₹600 per dose for private hospitals and ₹400 per dose for state governments and for any new contract by the central government. It currently charges the central government ₹150 per dose for the existing supplies. The opposition parties had criticised the differential pricing for COVID-19 vaccines, saying it was discriminatory and will benefit only a "few big industrialists" while common people will suffer. They had demanded the Centre and state governments pay the same price for the COVID-19 vaccine. Serum Institute of India (SII) in a statement clarified that there was an "inaccurate comparison" done between the global prices of the vaccine with India. "Covishield is the most affordable COVID-19 vaccine available in the market today," SII said. The initial prices were kept very low globally as these were based on advance funding given by those countries for at-risk vaccine manufacturing, it added. "The initial supply price of Covishield for all government immunization programme, including India, has been the lowest", SII said. Government procurement for countrywide immunization programmes in all countries, including India, has been at a far lower price as the volumes are very large, it added. Emphasising that the company has to ensure sustainability, SII said, "The current situation is extremely dire; the virus is constantly mutating while the public remains at risk. Identifying the uncertainty, we have to ensure sustainability as we must be able to invest in scaling up and expanding our capacity to fight the pandemic and save lives". The company went on to add that only a limited portion of SII's volume will be sold to private hospitals at Rs 600 per dose. "The price of the vaccine is still lower than a lot of other medical treatment and essentials required to treat COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases", it added. Earlier this week, Serum Institute had said, "Going ahead, 50% of our capacities will be served to the Government of India's vaccination program, and the remaining 50% of the capacity will be for the state governments and private hospitals." The government on Saturday exempted basic customs duty on import of <keyword id="8764262" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid">COVID</keyword> vaccines, medical-grade oxygen and related equipment for three months with immediate effect to boost their availability and make them cheaper amidst rising cases of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> infections in the country.

Serum Institute insists Covishield is the most affordable vaccine in the market today; says price has been increased so that they can invest into scaling up production

<keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword>, the <keyword id="6354507" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="World">world</keyword>'s biggest <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">Covid-19</keyword> vaccine maker, is hopeful to launch <keyword id="10678894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covovax">Covovax</keyword> by September this year, CEO <keyword id="383467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adar-Poonawalla">Adar Poonawalla</keyword> announced on Saturday. "Covovax trials finally begin in India; the vaccine is made through a partnership with <keyword id="323030" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Novavax">Novavax</keyword> and Serum Institute of <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>," said Adar Poonawalla. He further said that it has been tested against African and UK variants of Covid-19 and has an overall efficacy of 89 per cent. "Hope to launch by September 2021!" the CEO of world's biggest Covid-19 vaccine maker said. Covovax is the protein-based Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, headquartered in the US. In August 2020, the two companies announced an agreement under which Novavax had given SII the licence to manufacture and supply the vaccine in low- and middle-income countries. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/asteroid-apophis-wont-be-hitting-earth-for-at-least-another-century/articleshow/81719171.cms">‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another century</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/making-vaccines-available-to-indians-may-not-be-enough-it-depends-on-how-judiciously-we-employ-them/articleshow/81720507.cms">Making vaccines available to Indians may not be enough, it depends on how judiciously we employ them</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/government-mandates-companies-to-disclose-cryptocurrency-holdings-from-april-1/articleshow/81704174.cms">Indian companies will have to disclose cryptocurrency holdings from April 1 – industry insiders welcome decision</a>

Serum Institute's second COVID-19 vaccine 'Covavax' likely to be launched in September

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) With the UK giving the green light to the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and drug maker AstraZeneca, India is also expected to follow suit soon as a meeting of the decision-making body began on Friday, giving new hope of beginning the end of the pandemic as the New Year ushers in. The authorisation in the UK recommended two doses administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks. This regimen was shown in clinical trials to be safe and effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19, with no severe cases and no hospitalisations more than 14 days after the second dose, according to AstraZeneca. Now known as Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, it was formerly called AZD1222. AZD1222 was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body. As announced on November 23, the primary efficacy endpoint based on a pooled analysis showed that the vaccine was 70.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 occurring more than 14 days after receiving two doses of the vaccine. A secondary efficacy endpoint of prevention of severe disease demonstrated no cases of severe infections or hospitalisations in the vaccine group. In addition to the programme led by Oxford University, AstraZeneca is conducting a large trial in the US and globally. Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is manufacturing a version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine "Covishield" in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Pune-based company on November 28 to review vaccine development. The company this week said that it has a stockpile 40-50 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. India is likely to receive majority of these 50 million doses. "We have 40-50 million doses of Covishield stockpiled. Once we get regulatory approvals in a few days, it will be down to the government to decide how much they can take and how fast. We will be producing around 300 million doses by July 2021," Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla recently said in a press conference. The company applied for emergency authorisation of the vaccine in India in December. It is expected that this vaccine will play a major role in India's plan to vaccinate its population against Covid-19 due to several factors including low-cost, ease of storage and transport. --IANS gb/in

Here's what you need to know about Oxford Covid-19 vaccine

Pune, Jul 7 () Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) is hoping to develop a COVID-19 vaccine by the year-end as it is focusing on a "good and safe" product and is not in a "rush", the company's CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Tuesday. He was speaking during the launch of 'Compact XL, a compact diagnostics machine by MyLab Discovery Solutions, that will automate lab processes from sample handling to preparing RT-PCR tubes. Replying to a question about the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, Poonawalla said that by the end of 2020, the SII is hoping to have a vaccine. "End of the year, we are hoping to have a vaccine. So we will discuss once of the phase three trials for the product come about. Recently, there was news about another vaccine candidate which was being rushed. We do not want to rush anything. We want to emphasis on safety and efficacy... and once we are confident of good and safe vaccine, we will announce but that is still six months away from now," said Adar. He further said that till the vaccine comes, testing is the key and that is why SII has invested in MyLabs. "If you test, isolate and segregate, we can manage the situation till the good cure or vaccine comes around," said Adar. SII has invested over Rs 100 crore in MyLabs, a Pune-based molecular diagnostics firm. Poonawalla lamented that India is not testing enough and added that Indian test manufacturers including MyLabs are picking up the production capacity. "There is a fear that what will happen if the number of positive patients increases. I would like to say that there is no harm if the number increases as it will help us detect people," he added. Poonawalla also sought permission to allow export of the test kits. "We have enough capacity in manufacturing testing kits. MyLab can produce 2 million kits per week and there is no that much demand in India so allow us to export and we have enough buffer stock for India readily available if there is more outbreak," he said adding they are waiting for the government's blessings. SPK GK MR

Serum Institute of India expects COVID vaccine by year-end

<ul class="summary-list"><li>2 billion doses of the Oxford <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccines-that-could-be-ready-first-moderna-pfizer-oxford-2020-5">coronavirus vaccine</a> are due to be produced after pharma giant <keyword id="6409874" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="astrazeneca">AstraZeneca</keyword> struck two new deals to double the supply.</li><li>AstraZeneca partnered with the Serum Institute of India to supply doses to low-and-middle income countries. 400 million of these should be ready by the end of 2020.</li><li>There is still no guarantee the vaccine will work — but the company is pushing ahead with production anyway to shorten the timeline in case it does prove effective.</li><li>300 billion of the doses are being funded by a $750 million contribution from the <keyword id="72689" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Foundation">Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</keyword>.</li></ul>The global supply of a potential <keyword id="8624004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</keyword> being developed at Oxford University has been doubled to 2 billion after a deal including $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The vaccine is being produced by AstraZeneca British drug maker, drawing on work by researchers from Oxford University.It <a href="https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/articles/2020/astrazeneca-takes-next-steps-towards-broad-and-equitable-access-to-oxford-universitys-potential-covid-19-vaccine.html">announced Thursday</a> that it had signed agreements with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance to boost its supplies.The company has committed to mass-producing the vaccine before it has been proved effective, an unusual step designed to compress the long timeline of vaccine production.CEPI and Gavi are both charities supported the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization. The $750 million agreement with CEPI and Gavi will support manufacturing, procurement and distribution for 300 million of the 2 billion doses. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccines-that-could-be-ready-first-moderna-pfizer-oxford-2020-5">Scientists are racing to create a coronavirus vaccine that can halt the pandemic in its tracks. Here are the top 3 candidates from Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca aiming to be ready this fall.</a>The statement also said that AstraZeneca struck a licensing partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, for 1 billion doses of the vaccine earmarked for low- and middle-income countries.The deal includes "a commitment to provide 400 million of them by the end of 2020," according to the statement.The company had already announced the manufacture of 1 billion doses last month, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52917118">according to the BBC</a>. 300 million of the potential vaccines are already pledged to the US and 100 million to the UK, the BBC said. If clinical trials prove the the vaccine works, the first doses could be ready by September. In the statement, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said: "We are working tirelessly to honor our commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to Oxford's vaccine across the globe and at no profit."It remains unclear whether the vaccine, named AZD1222, will work. Soriot said the company should know by August, the BBC reported. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-catalysts-in-june-for-coronavirus-vaccines-and-treatments-2020-5">The race for coronavirus treatments and vaccines is heating up. Here are the 12 most important events to watch for in June, from fresh vaccine data to new antibody drug trials.</a>Richard Hatchett, chief executive of CEPI, admitted there was a "substantial risk" in investing in manufacturing a product that may ultimately not deliver, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/04/astrazeneca-doubles-capacity-for-potential-covid-19-vaccine-to-2bn-doses">The Guardian reported</a>. Around 10,000 adult volunteers are currently testing the Phase II/III versions of the vaccine in the UK, according to the AstraZeneca statement.

2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine will be available after a new deal that included $750m from Bill Gates, AstraZeneca says

Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India's <keyword id="9625152" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ceo-adar-poonawalla">CEO Adar Poonawalla</keyword> on Thursday said the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for <keyword id="893440" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-workers">healthcare workers</keyword> and <keyword id="56756" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Elderly-people">elderly people</keyword> by around February 2021 and by April for the general public, and will be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals. Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated, he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), 2020. "It will probably take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, not just because of the supply constraints but because you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine. So these are the factors that lead up to being able to vaccinate 80-90 per cent of the population. "It will be 2024 for everybody, if willing to take a two-dose vaccine, to be vaccinated," Poonawalla said. Asked at what price the public will get it, he said it will be around USD 5-6 per dose with an MRP of around Rs 1,000 for the two necessary doses. "The government of India will be getting it at a far cheaper price at around USD 3-4, because it will be buying in a large volume and get access to the price that is similar to what COVAX has got. We are still pricing it far cheaper and more affordable than other vaccines we have in the market today," Poonawalla said. Asked about the efficacy of the vaccine, he said the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is so far proving to work very well even in elderly people, which was a concern earlier. "It has induced a good T-cell response, which is an indicator for your long-term immunity and antibody response but then again, time will only tell if these vaccines are going to protect you in the long term. Nobody can answer that for any of the vaccines today," Poonawalla said. Responding to a question on the safety aspect, he said there has been no major complaints, reactions or adverse events, adding, "We would need to wait and see. The efficacy and immunogenicity results from the Indian trials will come out in about a month-and-a half." Asked when the SII will apply for an emergency authorisation, Poonawalla said as soon as the UK authorities and the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) approve it for emergency use, it will apply to the drug controller for emergency use authorisation in India. "But that will be for a limited use for frontline workers, healthcare workers and elderly people," he added. Children would have to wait a little longer till the safety data is out, but the good news is that COVID-19 is not so bad and serious for them, Poonawalla said. "Unlike measles pneumonia, which is deadly, this disease is seeming to be less of a nuisance for children but then, they can be carriers and can give the infection to others. "We want to vaccinate the elderly people and others who are the most vulnerable first. Once we have enough safety data to go in on children, we can recommend it for children too," he said. Poonawalla said the Oxford vaccine is affordable, safe and stored at a temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for it to be stored in the cold storages of India. He said the SII plans to make about 10 crore doses per month from February. As regards how many doses would be provided to India, Poonawalla said talks are still going on and no agreement has been arrived at in this regard. "India wants around 400 million doses by July. I do not know if it will take all from <keyword id="9265406" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-serum-institute">the Serum Institute</keyword>. We are gearing up to offer that kind of volume to India and still have a few 100 million to offer to COVAX by July and August. No agreement so far," he said. Poonawala said the SII is not entering into any agreement with other countries at this moment as India is its priority. "We have not signed and committed anything else beyond Bangladesh at the moment. We really do not want to partner right now with many countries because we will not have enough stocks to deliver. "We want to handle India as a priority first and manage Africa at the same time and then help out other countries," he said. Poonawalla said 30-40 crore doses of the Oxford vaccine will be available by the first quarter of 2021. In another session of the summit, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said there is some talk going on between Pfizer and the Indian government but not much with Moderna. "It is going to be a huge challenge as far as the Pfizer vaccine is concerned, considering that it needs a cold chain of minus 70 degrees Celsius," he said and pinned hoped on the vaccines that are at various stages of trial in India. On the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine, Guleria said the percentage of population to be inoculated will depend on the number of vaccines getting the regulatory approvals and the number of shots they are producing. He further said the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> goes into the lungs without making a person symptomatic. "We have individuals who are asymptomatic and you can see patches in their lungs at CT scans directly. It really bypasses a person's defence mechanism, which means that you not only have the virus in your nose or throat, but it has gone right into your lungs. A virus which can do that is something we have to be wary of," Guleria said. PLB/UZM RC

COVID-19 vaccine will be priced at ₹1,000 and would be available by February for healthcare workers and elderly people, says Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla

<ul><li>The 74-year old is the 12th richest person in India with a networth of $9.5 billion. </li><li>According to Forbes, he multiplied his net worth nearly five times in a decade. But his company Serum Institute of India (SII) is known for its affordable vaccines. </li><li>The affordable vaccine strategy has struck the right cord of the company as its annual revenues are at ₹59 billion ($840 million).</li></ul>The story of <keyword id="29334" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cyrus-Poonawalla">Cyrus Poonawalla</keyword> and how he became a billionaire cuts through luxury cars, horses and vaccines. The 74-year old <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/cyrus-poonawalla/">is the 12th richest person in India</a> with a networth of $9.5 billion. According to Forbes, he multiplied his net worth nearly five times in a decade. But his company Serum Institute of India (SII) is known for its affordable vaccines. He founded the Serum Institute of India in 1966, with a capital of $12,000. His idea was to develop vaccines by extracting serum from horses. SII became the world’s largest vaccine maker by of doses produced and sells 1.5 billion doses globally. <div type="Slideshow" msid="72139267" hostid="261" title="Cyrus Poonawalla, India’s vaccine king, multiplied his wealth nearly 5 times in a decade" firstImageMsid="72139269" slideCount="4"></div>

Cyrus Poonawalla, India’s vaccine king, multiplied his wealth nearly 5 times in a decade

<ul><li>Whether it is the production linked incentive or the waiver of duty on <keyword id="8775508" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="remdesivir">Remdesivir</keyword>, these are steps that could have been taken six years ago.</li><li>In 2015, the Indian government decided to boost the <keyword id="6362048" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="manufacturing">manufacturing</keyword> of API, the most important ingredient in a drug, but the policy remained on paper and as a catchphrase on headlines.</li><li>In fact, since 2015, the year when the government resolved to promote the manufacture of bulk drugs in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, the imports have only gone up.</li></ul>Catchphrases don’t cure, actual drugs do. In 2021, everyone from the mighty <keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII), the world’s largest vaccine maker, to the whole host of companies that make Remdesivir are scrambling for inputs while the COVID-19 pandemic ravages through a densely populated country with a lot of poor people and inadequate health facilities. However, six years ago, the same government had <a href="http://www.pharmabiz.com/PrintArticle.aspx?aid=86857&amp;sid=1">celebrated ‘the year of API’</a>. The acronym stands for active <keyword id="6469017" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pharmaceutical">pharmaceutical</keyword> ingredients⁠ or simply put, key inputs needed to make a particular medicine. The event was possibly a hit, the tagline was well promoted, but nothing happened after that. In fact, since 2015, the year when the government resolved to promote the manufacture of bulk drugs in India, the imports have only gone up. <div type="image" title="api imports data." msid="82190922" hostid="261"></div> The idea was to encourage local manufacturing of APIs on a bigger scale but after six years of stated intent, India is still dependent on China for nearly 70% of its API, also called bulk drugs, needs. Now, more than a year into the pandemic, drug makers and vaccine makers in India⁠ — which proudly carries the tag ‘pharmacy of the world’ ⁠— are pleading for access to key raw material. The list includes <keyword id="383467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adar-Poonawalla">Adar Poonawalla</keyword>, the chief executive officer (CEO) of SII, who urged the United States on April 16 to allow export of key inputs needed to make the COVID-19 vaccine. <div type="twitter" handle="adarpoonawalla" handlename="Adar Poonawalla" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1302181254746509313/Kn1fTCv6_normal.jpg" favoritecount="103657" retweetcount="26309" status="Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S… https://t.co/MsnowghtBQ" createdat="1618562794000" id="1382978713302683653"></div>There are many factors why API manufacturing hasn’t picked pace in India. The following are the reasons cited by consulting firm PwC. <ul><li>stricter implementation of pollution control norms, leading to higher costs of manufacturing APIs in India issues in interpretation of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013</li><li>no financial incentives like lower tax, cheaper utilities and land subsidy to lower capex requirement</li><li>lack of large-scale mega parks to manufacture bulk drugs -- collapse of the fermentation industry in India.</li></ul>Before 1991, India was dependent on China only to the extent of 0.3% of its bulk drug needs. Today, 70% of it comes from China. <div type="image" title="India API imports." msid="82190944" hostid="261"></div> The chaos around Remdesivir is one of the examples of how slow the policy wheel moves in India, no matter who is in charge of government. The demand for Remdesivir has been off the charts for a while, for a variety of reasons. The manufacturing process has been stalled by the lack of APIs but the government did not waive off the customs duty on this crucial import, until April 20, about a year after the drug has been allowed to be used as a last resort for COVID-19 patients. Of course, the government <a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1671912">has approved a ₹6,940 crore production-linked incentive scheme</a> to boost the manufacturing of APIs too, among other pharmaceutical products. The policy was announced as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) programme, at the peak of the pandemic. If the same measures had been announced earlier in 2015, when we were celebrating the year of the API, at least a few deaths and some anxiety could have been avoided. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-privacy-oriented-ios-14-5-update-can-impact-on-facebook-ad-revenue/articleshow/82176041.cms">Apple will roll out the privacy-oriented iOS 14.5 update next week that has Facebook worried</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/netflix-co-founder-talks-about-pricing-experiments-in-india-and-partnership-with-jio/articleshow/82175848.cms">Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings says India is a 'speculative' investment – talks about pricing experiments and partnership with Jio</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/all-the-first-time-from-apple-announcements-from-its-spring-loaded-event/articleshow/82174522.cms">All the 'first-time from Apple' announcements from its Spring Loaded Event</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cryptocurrency-firm-coinbase-hires-former-google-pay-exec-to-lead-india-operations/articleshow/82174729.cms">Coinbase hires former Google Pay exec to lead India ops, is hiring aggressively and looking for startup acquisitions</a>

You Searched For "SII Vaccine makers" and got 11 results

There are a lot of coronavirus vaccines in the works⁠— but these are the two that Indians should watch out for

Prabhjote Gill

Bharat Biotech begins COVAXIN supply to 14 states based on central government's guidance

IANS

Side effects, efficacy reasons for vaccine hesitancy in India

IANS

Serum Institute insists Covishield is the most affordable vaccine in the market today; says price has been increased so that they can invest into scaling up production

PTI

Serum Institute's second COVID-19 vaccine 'Covavax' likely to be launched in September

IANS

Here's what you need to know about Oxford Covid-19 vaccine

IANS

Serum Institute of India expects COVID vaccine by year-end

PTI

2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine will be available after a new deal that included $750m from Bill Gates, AstraZeneca says

Mia Jankowicz

COVID-19 vaccine will be priced at ₹1,000 and would be available by February for healthcare workers and elderly people, says Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla

PTI

Cyrus Poonawalla, India’s vaccine king, multiplied his wealth nearly 5 times in a decade

Preeti Soni

If 2015 was the ‘Year of the API’, why is there a Remdesivir shortage six years later?

Sriram Iyer