SHC allows sale of Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday allowed the firm, which had imported Russia’s Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine, to sell it.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) submitted its reply over a contempt petition in the court. In its reply DRAP said that the vaccine was released on March 31.

The bench remarked that the vaccine shots should be administered to people as early as possible. It will be inappropriate to halt vaccination in this situation, the court said.

“We didn’t impede in release of the vaccine,” DRAP official replied. ” Will the matter be resolved after fixation of the price,” the court asked. “The matter won’t be resolved with fixing the price,” the pharma firm’s counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan replied.

“Will we sell the vaccine if the price being fixed at 8,000 rupees,” the company’s counsel questioned. “The price was not fixed at the time when permission given for import of the vaccine,” the lawyer said.

“What the government was doing, why the vaccine’s price not being fixed,” the court asked.

“Suspend the vaccine sale until the next week, we will fix the price,” the counsel of the regulatory authority said. “You should get hurry as the third wave of the coronavirus has hit the country,” the bench remarked.

“We are ready to submit the price data,” pharma company’s lawyer said. “We had made agreement for one million doses and 50,000 vaccines were imported,” he further said.

“The company has fixed 12,226 rupees’ price for the vaccination”.

“We have to purchase the vaccine from the foreign company, otherwise to suffer heavy loss,” the lawyer further said.

The court adjourned the case for further hearing on April 12.

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