Last checked at 
* India ready for vaccines needing 2 to 8 degrees Celsius
storage
* AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech, RDIF's Sputnik V among
frontrunners
* Pfizer, Moderna unlikely to be able to supply India with
volumes
until H2 2021
By Neha Arora and Sanjeev Miglani
NEW DELHI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - India will deploy its vast
election machinery to deliver 600 million doses of COVID-19
vaccines to the most vulnerable people in the next six to eight
months through conventional cold chain systems, the expert
leading the initiative said on Friday.
The government has lined up cold storage facilities with
temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 48°F), said
V.K. Paul, who heads the group of experts on vaccine
administration for COVID-19 that advises India's Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Paul said these preparations meet the requirements of what
he said were the four emerging candidates in the race for
India's vaccine.
"The four that I can see, including Serum, Bharat, Zydus,
and Sputnik need normal cold chain. I see no problem for these
vaccines," he told Reuters in an interview.
Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker,
is already mass producing and stockpiling AstraZeneca's
Covishield shot, while Indian biotech players Bharat Biotech and
Zydus Cadila are developing their own vaccine candidates.
And last month, Indian pharmaceutical player Hetero inked a
deal with Russia's RDIF to manufacture over 100 million doses of
the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per year in India.
The government expects the first approvals "very soon" from
the independent drug regulator for emergency use, he said.
"I am hoping at the earliest because we are ready."
The government, however, was yet to have formal talks on
pricing and had no firm purchase orders, he said.
"The Indian companies know the government will give a fair
and reasonable price."
SUPPLIES AND STORAGE
At present, Indian regulators are considering three vaccines
for emergency use authorisation, including those from Pfizer Inc
, AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech.
But, Pfizer's limited stockpiles and its extreme storage
condition requirements at minus 70 degrees Celsius or below,
would likely limit its use in India, which lacks such
infrastructure.
"In a theoretical scenario, where there is no vaccine with
conventional cold chain requirement, minus 70 degrees Celsius
capacities will have to be created, and we will do so," Paul
said.
Paul said the government is also in talks with Moderna
, which also has requirements for ultra-cold storage.
India does not anticipate supplies from either Pfizer or
Moderna until the second half of next year, said Paul.
"We would like to work with them (Moderna) to make that
vaccine available in India, and (ensure) that vaccine is also
manufactured in India - for us and for other countries. This is
the call we have given to Pfizer also and we are in touch with
them as well."
Paul said India may still consider granting Pfizer emergency
use authorisation, despite it not having conducted safety and
immune response trials in India, but said that decision would be
taken by the drugs regulator.
"As of now, it is a norm or standard operating procedure
that any vaccine marketed in India should have human study
results from the Indian subjects," he said.
India has the world's second highest caseload of coronavirus
behind the United States, but its death rate has been far lower.
Still, Paul said the immediate task was to protect lives
and the government had prepared a plan to administer vaccines to
300 million people - or 600 million doses at two jabs each - in
the first part of the programme.
This would be made up of 260 million people above the age of
50, an estimated 10 million below the age of 50 with serious
co-morbidities and 30 million frontline workers, who have borne
the brunt of infections.
"The way it looks as of now, optimistically, it appears
possible to cover the above population of 300 million in six to
eight months' time."
(Reporting by Neha Arora and Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Euan
Rocha and Raissa Kasolowsky)
