Talks ongoing for 20M Covaxin doses, says Palace adviser

Negotiations are ongoing for the purchase and delivery, hopefully by May, of 8 to 20 million doses of the COVID-19 shot Covaxin from India, according to presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.

In a statement, Concepcion said the shipments, should a deal be reached, would augment private-sector purchases of other vaccines, particularly those by British-Swedish manufacturer AstraZeneca and American companies Moderna and Novavax.

“This vaccine (Covaxin) is promising as it was the one used by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and has posted 81-percent efficacy from the interim results of its phase 3 trial,” the businessman said.

Awaiting approval

He added that Covaxin was “now only awaiting” the approval of the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that he was working with the Indian vaccine developer Bharat Biotech and distributors Ambica International Corp. and IP Biotech on the pricing and timeline of delivery.

“[I’m] hoping at the possibility that it would be delivered in the second quarter around May and priced at the best possible minimum,” he said.

Concepcion also noted that India currently had the biggest output of vaccines in the world and that a partnership with that country would be “significant and a game changer.”

“Once Covaxin is approved by the FDA and our negotiations bear fruit, we are hopeful that we could offer these to [micro, small-and medium-sized enterprises] that have not yet secured their doses from previous vaccine manufacturers,” he said.

The initiative is being made through the “A Dose of Hope” program in partnership with various vaccine manufacturers and distributors.

Negotiations

While negotiations for Covaxin shipments are pending, companies interested in buying Novavax vaccines for their employees and dependents are encouraged to contact A Dose of Hope. —Ronnel W. Domingo