As the hunt for the COVID19 vaccine continues world-wide, Serum Institute of India, one of the biggest vaccine distributors in the world is partnering with Bill and Melinda Gates to make available of the COVID19 vaccine for low and middle-income countries.
According to reports, once a vaccine has been approved, Serum Institute of India and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation plan on seeing that a dose will be sold to people in low-income countries for as low as $3 making it rather affordable for many people and countries.
Countries like Uganda, Kenya, Chad, Niger, Angola, Benin among many others could become the beneficiaries fo the project once a vaccine is found.
The Institue is currently in a partnership with UK’s Oxford University Astra-Zeneca trial and the US’s Novavax trial. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will provide funding of up to $150M to ensure that the trials are successful.
Once the vaccine passes the Licensure and screening by the World Health Organization, SII says that then the vaccine will available for purchase.
According to Novavax Inc, they entered into a supply and licensing confirmation with the Serum Institute of India for the development and commercialization of its COVID19 vaccine candidate.
SII will get all the exclusive rights in India for the vaccine during the period the deal and non-exclusive rights during the period of the pandemic to all other countries apart from those appointed by the World Bank as upper-middle or high-income countries.
Having earlier claimed that its experimental COVID19 vaccine contains high levels of antibodies that can fight the novel virus in its early-stage clinical trials, Novavax is set to start stage III trials in September.
And according to Oxford, their vaccine has shown definitive outcome in its initial with the vaccine producing a dual immune response in people aged between 18 and 55. Dr. Poonawalla states that they have two dedicated facilities that will focus all efforts in producing millions of doses while putting on hold production of all other products so as to try and mitigate the global pandemic.
Also read: Is Oxford’s AstraZeneca COVID 19 Vaccine worth the Hype It’s Getting?
About The Author
