With the price cut, the vaccine will be available for the end user at Rs.400 a dose, including taxes and administration charges.
BE said it has lowered the price of its vaccine with the aim of making it more affordable and help increase the reach to protect the maximum number of children against the virus.
The decision comes within weeks of the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker receiving emergency use authorization (EUA) for children between 5 and 12 years of age.
The previous private market price for the vaccine was Rs.990 a dose including taxes and vaccine administration charges.
Corbevax vaccination slots can be booked through the government’s Co-WIN portal for children aged 12 to 17. However the government is yet to include the vaccine on the Co-WIN platform for the ages of 5 to 12 years, despite the jab receiving approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in April.
So far, 43.9 million doses of Corbevax have been administered to children across the country andw BE has supplied close to 100 million doses to the government.
Corbevax is offered in a single-dose vial, making it more convenient for vaccine administration.
“It eliminates vaccine wastage, which is a major advantage for private hospitals,” BE said.
BE has developed Corbevax – the recombinant protein subunit vaccine in collaboration with Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.
Prior to receiving EUA for vaccination, the company conducted Phase II and III multicentre clinical trials in 624 children aged 5-12 and 12-18.
Previously Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech have slashed the prices of their Covid vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin to Rs 225 per dose for private hospitals, from Rs 600 and Rs 1200, respectively.
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