Why COVID-19 vaccines have different pricing, the Supreme Court asked the Centre today, adding that the government should explain the “rationale and basis” behind the pricing policy. The top court also asked the central government as to how it was going to maintain the demand and supply of vaccines from May 1 when vaccination for all above 18 years of age would begin. India has been reporting over 3 lakh daily coronavirus cases for the last one week. On Tuesday, the country recorded 323,144 cases and over 2,500 deaths in one day. The massive surge has led to shortages of essential medicines, hospital beds and life-saving oxygen.

“The Union of India shall clarify in its affidavit the basis and rationale adopted in regard to the pricing of vaccines,” said the bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud while fixing a suo motu case for hearing on Friday, adding that “Different manufacturers are coming out with different prices. What is the Centre doing about it.”

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The bench, which conducted the proceedings through video conferencing, referred to the powers of the Centre under the Drugs Control law to control the price of medicines, and said the pandemic was “perhaps the right time to invoke such powers”.

“This is a pandemic and a national crisis. If this is not the time to issue such powers, what is the time,” the court said.

This comes amid raging debate over the different slabs of COVID vaccines. The Centre has declared that under its ‘Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy’ there will be three different prices from May 1.

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Aadar Poonawala-led Serum Institute of India has said that it will sell its Covishield vaccine at Rs 400 per dose to state governments and to private hospitals at Rs 600. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will cost Rs 600 for state governments and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals. Its price for the Centre, however, would remain the same at Rs 150.

The top court also sought clarity on how the government would meet the increased demand for vaccines when the vaccination opens to above 18 on May 1. The bench also asked the Centre to apprise the top court of the modalities on distribution of oxygen as well as the vaccines to states and the monitoring mechanism.

The Supreme Court, on April 22, had asked the Centre to come out with a “national plan” to deal with the surging COVID crisis, which has led the shortage of essential services and supplies, including oxygen and drugs.