Pharma firm shows disagreement over govt price of Russian vaccine

KARACHI: The local pharmaceutical company has threatened to return the privately-imported Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, after showing disagreement over its price recommended by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The officials of a local pharmaceutical firm have threatened to return the Russian COVID-19 vaccines after showing disagreement to sell them at the government price, sources said. The importer said that it is impossible to supply the Russian Sputnik V vaccine at the government price.

The officials added that the importer has an option to return the vaccines over not getting a good price.

Read: Single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Pakistan on March 25

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had granted approval to the Russian vaccine for Covid-19, for emergency use in February.

Sputnik V could be administered to a person of 18 and above it. The vaccine requires to store at minus-18 Celsius temperature, according to the sources at DRAP.

Sputnik V is one of four vaccines approved for emergency use in Pakistan, in addition to those by China’s Sinopharm and CanSinoBio, and the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot.

Read: China announces to gift more doses of COVID vaccine to Pakistan

On March 18, it emerged that a pharmaceutical company of Pakistan had received the first consignment of privately-imported Russian made Sputnik-V vaccine.

Two pharmaceutical companies are importing vaccines from abroad with one hailing from Karachi importing the Russian vaccine while the Chinese vaccine would be imported by a multi-national pharma company.

The health ministry had recommended the price of two anti-COVID jabs of the Russian vaccine be set at Rs 8,449. The packet containing four doses of Sputnik-V is set at Rs 16,560 while 10 and 20 doses would be available at Rs40,555 and Rs 81,110 respectively after approval from the federal cabinet.

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