Bowing to pressure from various quarters, Bharat Biotech on Thursday slashed price of its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, to ₹400 per dose.

Previously, the Hyderabad-based company pegged its vaccine price at ₹600 per dose for States and ₹150 for the Centre.

For private hospitals, it will be sold at ₹1,200 per shot.

‘’Recognising the enormous challenges to the public healthcare system, we have made Covaxin available to State governments at a price of ₹400/dose,” the company said in a statement.

“Bharat Biotech is deeply concerned with the critical pandemic circumstances that India is facing at this time,” it added.

The company ‘wishes’ to be transparent in its approach to pricing which was determined by internally funded product development,several operationally-intensive BSL-3 manufacturing facilities (the first of its kind in our country) and clinical trials.

“For the last year, Team Bharat Biotech has been fearlessly handling Live SARS-CoV-2 virus strains, tirelessly working round-the-clock while overcoming many challenges given the uncertainty of the pandemic,” the vaccine maker said.

Also read: SC asks Centre to explain vaccine pricing

The vaccine maker will “continue to work towards offering superior Covid-19 vaccines.”

On Wednesday, Pune-based Serum Institute of India, announced a cut of ₹100 in the price of its Covishield to make it available to States at ₹300 per dose.

The differential pricing policy of vaccine makers has kicked off a row with many States taking exception to higher pricing for them even as the Centre procures it at ₹150 per dose.

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