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We want to price Covid-19 vaccine below Rs 1,000: Serum Institute CEO

Pune's Serum Institute of India is placing its bets on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate AZD1222

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“The government will be taking care of the distribution. We hope that people do not have to pay for the vaccine initially,” said Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India

Sohini Das Mumbai

4 min read Last Updated : Jul 22 2020 | 6:05 AM IST

Pune’s Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker by volume, is placing its bets on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate AZD1222 with CEO Adar Poonawalla stating he would start manufacturing at personal risk. In an e-mail interaction with Sohini Das, Poonawalla says the company is investing $200 million in the vaccine facility and that he wants to keep the price at below Rs 1,000. Edited excerpts:

According to the results of the first two phases of trials published in The Lancet, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate is safe and inducing an immune response. How optimistic are you?

I’m confident that the Oxford-AstraZeneca

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