Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals will buy up to 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Serum Institute of India at about $8 each for sale on the private market, reports Reuters citing Beximco’s chief operating officer.
The COO, Rabbur Reza, said that was about twice the price of around $4 that Beximco had agreed for separate supplies of 5 million doses a month, over the first half of the year, for the Bangladeshi government’s subsidized mass-vaccination program.
Private sales of the vaccine by Beximco could begin in Bangladesh next month, and at a retail price of about 1,125 taka ($13.27) per dose, Reza said. Currently they have a deal for 1 million doses which could be raised by another 2 million, he added.
Reza said Beximco had also had preliminary discussions with other Indian vaccine developers such as Biological E and Bharat Biotech, whose shot was approved this month by India as a backup to the one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University.
“As of now, our partner is Serum and we will continue with them, that’s our goal,” the COO said in a phone interview. “If the government wants more vaccines, we can discuss other vaccines too that Serum is working on – if the government wants something other than the AstraZeneca one.”
Moreover, it was reported earlier that The much-sought Covid-19 vaccination in Bangladesh will start in the first week of February, said Director General of the Health Services (DGHS) Prof Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam.
He came up with the announcement at a press conference on the 'Covid vaccine implementation plan' at the DGHS office in the capital on Monday.
“The vaccine may reach the country by January 21-25… we’ll start the vaccination one week after its arrival in the country. That means the vacation will begin across the country in the first week of February,” he said.
Khurshid also said the registration for vaccination against the coronavirus will start on January 26.
