As India battles the second wave of coronavirus, the first consignment of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines arrived in Hyderabad. India is currently using two vaccines including Covishield and Covaxin. Russia's Sputnik V is going to be the third Covid vaccine which will be administered to the people.
"As Russia and India continue dedicated joint efforts to combat the COVID-19, this move is especially important to support the Indian Government’s endeavors to mitigate the deadly second wave and save lives," Russian Ambassador to India, N Kudashev said.
"Efficacy of the Sputnik V is among the highest in the world, and this vaccine will also be effective against new strains of COVID-19. Its local production is about to start soon and is planned to be gradually increased up to 850 million doses per year," Kudashev added.
"Today, we have received 1,50,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine here in Hyderabad. The vaccine will be available in a few weeks after it has gone through statutory clearances. The price will also be announced then," said Deepak Sapra, Chief Executive Officer, API and Services at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.
A couple of weeks ago, Pharma major Dr Reddy's said it has received regulatory approval for emergency use of Sputnik V, which will be imported from Russia, paving the way for the third COVID vaccine in India.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund said more than 850 million doses of Sputnik V are going to be produced annually in India -- the 60th country to approve the vaccine.
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The company has received permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to import the Sputnik vaccine into India for restricted use in emergency situations, Dr Reddy's said in a regulatory filing.
"We are very pleased to obtain the emergency use authorisation for Sputnik V in India. With the rising cases in India, vaccination is the most effective tool in our battle against COVID-19. This will enable us to contribute to our nation's effort of vaccinating a significant proportion of our population," said Dr Reddy's Laboratories Co-chairman and MD GV Prasad.
Sputnik V ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators, Dr Reddy's said.
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