Corbevax Covid vaccine: Centre places order for 5 crore doses each costing Rs. 145

The Central Government of India has placed an order of five crore doses of the Corbevax Covid vaccine from Biological E.  The purchase order has been placed with the company Biological E. Each unit will cost around Rs. 145 excluding taxes. As per official sources, the government is yet to decide about the segment of beneficiaries for this Corbevax vaccine.

As per the sources, there are several discussions between the technical groups and immunization division of the Health Ministry about the scope of precautionary doses that is currently being administered to healthcare and frontline workers and comorbid senior citizens. On the behalf of the Union Health Ministry, HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking has issued the purchase order of the Corbevax vaccine to the company Biological E in January last month.

Corbevax is expected to be supplied by end of February

Hyderabad-based company Biological E Limited is expected to deliver the five crore doses of Corbevax by the end of February.  The purchase order has stated that Rs. 1500 crore has been released as an advance against the purchase order of five crores doses. The Central Government has told the parliament that decision about the expansion of the list of eligible beneficiaries for precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccination of children below the age of 15 years will be based on the recommendations made by NTAGI based on a review of available scientific evidence.

India’s Drug Regulator approved India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19, Corbevax, for restricted use in emergency situations. Corbevax is administered through an intramuscular route with two doses scheduled 28 days apart and is stored between 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius. It is presented as 0.5 ml (single dose) and 5 ml (10 doses) vial pack. 

The company Biological E Limited has conducted three-phase clinical trials of its vaccine in the country. It has also conducted a phase 3 trial to compare the superiority against the Covishield vaccine. Last year in December, CDSCO has reviewed the authorization proposal of Emergency use for Corbevax along with SEC. It has recommended restricted use in an emergency situation to manufacture and market the said vaccine under the regulated conditions. These recommendations were accepted by DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India). 

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