Upset over anti-coronavirus vaccine pricing by the Serum Institute of India, a BJP MLA has compared its CEO Adar Poonawalla with a "dacoit" and asked the government to "acquire" the company under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
Gorakhpur MLA Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, who is a doctor, made the remarks after SII on Wednesday announced a price of Rs 600 per dose for Covishield supplies to private hospitals and Rs 400 per dose to state governments.
The world's largest vaccine maker announced pricing of AstraZeneca shots it manufactures at its Pune facility, following the government decision to open up inoculation to all citizens above 18 years of age.