“We expect to make this vaccine available as a booster in private healthcare centres as well as export it to several international markets,” Dr. Singh added. GEMCOVAC-OM is the only mRNA vaccine currently approved in India — again under ‘emergency use authorisation’ — that has been made specifically to counter the Omicron variant. Existing vaccines available as booster shots range from ₹800 (Innovac, Bharat Biotech’s nasal-drop vaccine), ₹225 for Covaxin, Covovax and Covishield (as of December 2022), and ₹400 for Corbevax. In a statement earlier this year, Pfizer indicated that booster doses of its mRNA vaccine would likely cost $110-130, in the absence of government procurement that has so far made the vaccine available for free in the U.S. Arora, who heads the COVID advisory group that recommends the timing and dosage of available vaccines for public use, said that current evidence did not merit the need for a fourth dose.

Source: The Hindu June 25, 2023 04:52 UTC