The Serum Institute of India and UNICEF have entered into a long-term supply agreement for the Oxford-AstraZeneca and the Novavax vaccines.
Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute and the Novavax is being produced by US-based Novavax Inc.
“Today we are pleased to announce the conclusion of a long-term supply agreement with the Serum Institute of India for COVID-19 vaccines, to access two vaccine products through technology transfer from AstraZeneca and Novavax,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
UNICEF will have access to up to 1.1 billion doses of vaccines for around 100 countries, for approximately USD 3 a dose for the lower middle-income countries.
UNICEF, which plays a key role in immunisation campaigns worldwide, described this agreement as the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever taken up by them.
India is one of the world’s biggest drugmakers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring the coronavirus vaccines.