It is astonishing to learn that the Bangladesh government is paying Tk 260 crore (about $30 million) more than the price set by AstraZeneca to buy three crore doses of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine from its manufacturer Serum Institute of India through its local vendor Beximco Pharmaceuticals. According to a news report, as per the tripartite contract signed by the Health Ministry on November 4 with Serum and Beximco for buying the quantity, the government agreed to pay $4 for each dose.
The report said AstraZeneca, which has obtained the licence of the Oxford vaccine, later on November 24 announced the rate for the vaccine, fixing $3 as the ceiling price for each dose for people of 92 low-and middle-income countries. As per the tripartite deal, Beximco would charge $1 extra each dose for carrying the vaccines from Serum’s warehouse in India to the Bangladesh government’s warehouses maintaining the required normal refrigerated condition.
According to Oxford scientists, results from the final trial show that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can protect 70.4 per cent of people from becoming ill and – in a surprise result – up to 90 per cent if a lower first dose is used. While the Oxford results may not immediately look so good, the scientists say they are not comparable, because they have included people who become mildly ill as well as seriously ill, unlike the two – meaning Pfizer and Moderna. The Oxford scientists also claimed that their vaccine has some big advantages, because it is fridge-stable so easily transported and used anywhere in the world.
However, the Oxford vaccine is the third to produce efficiency results, following US’s Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna whose vaccines were made with different technology. Both of those reported 95 per cent efficiency. They have also applied for US and European emergency authorization of their Covid-19 vaccines. As per the official data, Pfizer and Moderna are in the advance stage in WHO trials. Russia’s Sputnic and China’s Cinovac are also in good position.
However, officials of the Health Ministry expected that the vaccine would be available in Bangladesh in January next. But, health experts said that the Covid-19 vaccine would not be available in the market before December 2021. Without getting approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO), no vaccine can be marketed. WHO has not approved any vaccine till date, they said.
The fact that after procurement, the costly vaccines need to be transported to remote areas of the country and administered rapidly at the right temperature. Without an appropriate preservation network, their efficiency might be compromised.
