Mumbai Gets Bids For Pfizer, Other Vaccines Amid Global Tender Row

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) had floated global tenders to buy vaccines at Rs 700 crore on May 12.

The Mumbai civic body has received bids for the supply of Pfizer and seven other vaccines in response to its global tender for one crore doses, a top official said today. Pfizer has refused to sell its vaccine directly to states and has told states like Punjab it will only deal with the central government. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) had floated global tenders to buy vaccines at Rs 700 crore on May 12. "In response to MCGM's Global Expression of Interest for procurement of one crore vaccine doses, I wish to inform that eight bids have been received till date. One bid is for Pfizer/Astra Zeneca and the remaining seven bids are for Sputnik," said Iqbal Singh Chahal, commissioner of the civic body. The Pfizer/AstraZeneca bid is from a Czech company called O2 Blue Energy SRL, which says it can provide one crore doses with a mix of both the vaccines in a month, according to Mr Chahal.