'Pricing Clearly Established For Supplies Outside India': Bharat Biotech On Brazil Covaxin Deal Controversy

The pharmaceutical company’s statement came following a temporary suspension of deal with Brazil for 20 million doses of the Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin | File Image

New Delhi: Asserting that a "step-by-step" approach was followed towards contracts and regulatory approvals during an eight-month-long process, pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech has clarified that it had not received any payment from the Brazilian government so far.

The pharmaceutical company’s statement came following a temporary suspension of a deal with Brazil for 20 million doses of the Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine.

“As of 29th June 2021, Bharat Biotech has not received any advance payments nor supplied any vaccines to Ministry of Health Brazil,” the company said in a statement.

“The pricing of Covaxin has been clearly established between $15-20 per dose for supplies to governments outside India. The pricing for Brazil has also been indicated at $15 per dose,” PTI quoted the company as saying with regard to the pricing of the doses.

Bharat Biotech further said a “similar approach towards contracts, regulatory approvals, and supplies in several countries worldwide, where Covaxin is being supplied successfully”.

The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company had on June 4 received emergency use approval in Brazil.

This came after the National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil- Anvisa, allowed import of the Covid-19 vaccine with certain conditions.

Brazil Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga, however, on Wednesday announced that the company had temporarily suspended its deal with Bharat Biotech following allegations of irregularities in the deal.