Amid a menacingly rising second wave of Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the pharma industry to conduct more and more research on threats which can occur in the future along with Covid, which he said would help the nation take a lead in combating the virus.
Interacting with leaders of the pharmaceutical industry via video conferencing, Modi assured them that the government is undertaking reforms for new drugs and regulatory processes and sought cooperation from them.
Soon after the meeting, the government announced Phase III of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy, which was launched first on January 16, Phase-II was initiated from March 1, focusing on protecting the most vulnerable people above 45 years of age, accounting for more than 80 per cent Covid mortality in the country. The private sector was also roped in to augment capacity. From April 1, the government had dropped the need for a certificate of comorbidity making all 45 plus people eligible for the vaccine.
With this mapping model based on availability of vaccines and coverage of vulnerable priority groups, the government hoped to maximise the coverage of vulnerable groups by April 30 after which phase III will begin.
In its Phase-III, the National Vaccine Strategy aims at liberalised vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine coverage. The government is hopeful that this would augment vaccine production as well as availability, incentivising vaccine manufacturers to rapidly ramp up their production as well as attract new domestic and international vaccine manufacturers. Besides, it also hopes to make pricing, procurement, eligibility and administration of vaccines open and flexible, allowing all stakeholders the flexibility to customise to local needs and dynamics.
In the phase 3, Government of India, from its share, will allocate vaccines to states/UTs based on the criteria of extent of infection (number of active Covid cases) and performance (speed of administration). Wastage of vaccine will also be considered in this criteria and will affect the criteria negatively. Based on the above criteria, state-wise quota would be decided and communicated to the States adequately in advance.
The second dose of all existing priority groups i.e. HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years, wherever it has become due, would be given priority, for which a specific and focused strategy would be communicated to all stakeholders.
Appreciating the crucial role of the pharma sector in the fight against the pandemic, Modi commended the pharma industry for its efforts to increase production of several necessary drugs. He appreciated them for reducing the price of injections like Remdesivir. To keep the supply of medicines and essential medical equipment going smoothly, PM Modi urged the pharma industry to ensure seamless supply chains.