Zydus Cadila‘s Covid-19 vaccine may cost around Rs 300 per dose, people in the know told ET. As government inches closer to deciding the price of vaccine which is likely to be introduced in the vaccination drive this month, people who are part of discussions said that “the negotiations on pricing of vaccine currently underway are likely to conclude this week”.

“As per the discussions which are underway, in all likelihood the government may decide somewhere around Rs 300 per dose for the three-shot vaccine,” the same person said. The government has been buying AstraZeneca‘s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin at Rs 157.50 and Rs 225.75 per dose, respectively.

Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday had spoken about the pricing. “We are in conversation with the manufacturer. Since it is a three-dose vaccine and needs a needle-free injecting system, it will have a differential pricing in comparison to other available Covid-19 vaccines,” he said.

He also confirmed that the Zydus vaccine would be introduced very shortly”. The three-dose, needle-free ZyCoV-D, manufactured by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, is the first Covid-19 vaccine in the country that has been approved for the 12 to 18 years age group.