Focus On J&J, Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Pricing As India Permits Private Sales

Following India’s decision to permit private sales of COVID-19 vaccines from 1 May, all eyes are on companies including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc., which have been keen to introduce their vaccines but perhaps not at the INR150-200 ($2-2.70) that domestic manufacturers Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. and Bharat Biotech have offered for the government’s immunization program.

With an announcement on 19 April that SARS-CoV-2 vaccine manufacturers can sell 50% of their monthly supplies to the federal government and the balance to state governments as well as private buyers, pricing for the latter now occupies center stage. The move follows an earlier decision that fast-tracks approvals by the Drugs Controller General of India to COVID-19 vaccines that have been given an emergency use authorization by certain other regulators around the world