A new change in regulation has resurfaced old wounds about vaccine prices in India.
At Rs1,200 ($16.42) a dose, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, a Covid-19 vaccine fully developed and manufactured in India, is the most pricey option available at private hospitals in India. The vaccine is not only more expensive than the other locally manufactured option, Covishield, but costs more than even the imported Sputnik V.
Covaxin’s pricing is “nothing but governmental sanction for Bharat Biotech to make super profits,” says Malini Aisola, co-convener of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), an independent collective of healthcare professionals and nonprofits. “These unethically inflated prices have no correlation to its cost of production,” she says.
Not a single ivermectin tablet purchased for prophylaxis treatment: Goa CM
By IANS |
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Goa CM announces recruitment for 10,000 govt vacancies. Image Source: IANS News
Panaji, June 9 : In yet another flip flop, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the Goa government had not purchased a single tablet of ivermectin for distribution as part of a prophylaxis treatment protocol, nearly a month after the Health Ministry had announced free distribution of the anti-parasitic drug in Goa for all adults as preventive treatment for Covid-19.
Sawant s comment comes two days after the Union Health Ministry dropped ivermectin from its list of drugs to be used while treating Covid patients.
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Goa govt announces Tika Utsav 3.0 for 18-44 segment.
The Goa government on Wednesday announced that it will host Tika Utsav 3.0 , a vaccination festival across the state to inoculate maximum population in the age group of 18 to 44 years against COVID-19.
Speaking to reporters after chairing a state Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, âThrough Tika Utsav 3.0, we will be able to vaccinate everyone in the 18-44 age category in the state. We have witnessed a good response to the Tika Utsavs that were held in the past.
The state government has held two Tika Utsavs in the past involving all panchayats and municipal councils.
Quoting the good performance of the last two "Tika Utsavs", Goa government is all set to vaccinate everyone in the state falling in the age group of 18-44. CM Pramod Sawant also busts the rumours around bulk procurement of Ivermectin.
Reuters
Asia-Pacific economies are racing to develop home-grown Covid-19 vaccines as supply shortages threaten to upend containment efforts and prolong the pandemic.
Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are all betting on multiple locally developed vaccine candidates after struggling to secure adequate supplies of shots from overseas.
Although locally developed vaccines are unlikely to arrive in time to save sluggish vaccine roll-outs, authorities and scientific experts regard the approach as a longer-term investment.
Many experts expect Covid-19 to circulate indefinitely. It means the emergence of variants resistant to existing vaccines and the potential need for booster shots to maintain immunity could fuel vaccine demand for years to come.