Bharat Biotech on Thursday reduced the price of its COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ for state governments to Rs 400 per dose from Rs 600 announced earlier.

The move follows a widespread criticism of the Hyderabad-based company’s pricing policy as its price for the Central government has been fixed at Rs 150 per dose. The Bharat Biotech vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Pune-based National Institute Virology, both government institutions and therefore was expected to be more reasonably priced.

“Recognising the enormous challenges in the public healthcare system, we have made Covaxin available to state governments at a price of Rs 400 per dose”, Bharat Biotech said in its announcement.

The company is deeply concerned with the critical pandemic circumstances that India is facing at this time, it added.

The announcement comes a day after Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) had reduced the price of its COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ to Rs 300 per dose  for state governments from Rs 400 fixed earlier.