The Pakistani government has announced a price cap for shots of the privately imported Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the local media reported.
A private pharmaceutical company, AGP Limited, last week imported the first shipment of 50,000 doses of the Russian vaccine to Pakistan.
In February, Pakistan said it would allow private companies to import coronavirus vaccines and agreed to exempt such imports from price caps, but on Thursday the country’s health chief said that decision was being reversed and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) would recommend a price, which the cabinet would approve.
“The government has fixed the maximum sale price of Sputnik V Russian vaccine at Rs8,449 ($54) for two doses,” the Express Tribune reported, quoting a health ministry circular issued on Saturday.
According to the report, China’s Convidecia vaccine produced by CansinoBio, will cost maximum Rs4,225 per injection.
China’s Sinopharm and CansinoBio, Sputnik-V and the British AstraZeneca vaccines are approved for emergency use in Pakistan, whose government has not secured any vaccine from manufacturing companies yet and is relying so far on donations.
