As the race to make a covid vaccine available widely enters its final stages, US pharmaceutical major Pfizer has sought approval from the Drugs Controller General of India for emergency use of its jab in the country. If the regulator is satisfied with its foreign trial results, it may decide to give the company a go-ahead. The caveat: such a clearance should be available to all candidates in the fray that clear the same bar.
As of now, Pfizer’s vaccine, developed in alliance with German firm BioNTech, is seen as an upper-crust choice. It’s likely to be more expensive than other vaccines being produced domestically in bulk. Also, it needs to be stored at a temperature between -60 and -80 degrees Celsius, though Pfizer claims its vials last five days under 2-8 degrees refrigeration at the point of use. Both factors mean its vaccine may not be able to reach much beyond hospitals and clinics in our big cities. There will be demand for it, all the same, and we should allow this to be fulfilled without any price cap. While the Centre might pick an alternative for mass vaccination that’s cheaper and easier to distribute, we should let a private market freely do its bit, too.
Courtesy - Livemint.
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