Sputnik V gets approved by DCJI, becomes the the third COVID 19 vaccine to be approved for use in India
Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine efficacy: A day after the Centre's expert panel cleared Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use authorisation for the drug. The vaccine would be imported from Russia for emergency use in the country. Before this, two vaccines were authorized for usage by the regulator -- Covaxin of Bharat Biotech and Covishield of Oxford-AstraZeneca, being manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune.
As Sputnik V gets emergency use nod, here is everything you need to know about the third Covid-19 vaccine that will soon be available for inoculation:
Sputnik V Vaccine Efficacy
Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 has shown 91.6 per cent efficacy in the phase 3 trial without any serious side effects. This data is by an interim analysis of data published in The Lancet journal on February 2, 2021. The finding was collected from trial results performed on 20,000 participants. 3/4th of them received the two-dose regimen of the adenovirus-based vaccine, while the remaining underwent a placebo.
“Stopping the COVID-19 pandemic requires the introduction of different vaccines based on different mechanisms of action to cover diverse global health demands. Our vaccine, along with other SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, helps to diversify the world SARS-CoV-2 vaccine pipeline,” said study co-lead author, Denis Logunov, from Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia.
Sputnik V: How it works & doses
Sputnik V or Gam-COVID-Vac works as a two-part vaccine. It includes two adenovirus vectors recombinant human adenovirus type 26 (rAd26-S) and recombinant human adenovirus type 5 (rAd5-S). These are modified elements that express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that the virus uses to enter human cells. Other adenoviruses are also weakened by this vaccine so that they can't get replicated in human cells as well.
When Sputnik V was under trial, subjects underwent two doses that were given them 21 days apart. One dose was of rAd26-S, followed by a booster dose of rAd5-S 21.
The researchers explained that using a different adenovirus vector for the booster dose would help create a more powerful immune response, compared with using the same vector twice, as it minimises the risk of the immune system developing resistance to the initial vector.
Sputnik V Price
In the International Market, Sputnik V costs around $10 which will suffice into Rs. 750 per shot in India. This is an estimated price that can also change because the government is reportedly in the process of negotiating the pricing with the manufacturer.
Notably, the vaccine doses are being administered free of cost at the government-run Covid vaccination centres. The government has said that private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 per dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Sputnik V vaccine side effects
Sputnik V has not shown any major serious side effects during the trial, an interim analysis of data published in The Lancet journal in February said.
Who will manufacture Sputnik V in India
Dr Reddy's laboratories will be manufacturing the vaccine in India. They have partnered up with the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to bring the vaccine to India. India has been pledged 125 million doses of the vaccine by Russia. The RDIF has also made deals with Indian pharma firms such as Panacea Biotec, Hetero, Gland Pharma and Stelis Biopharma to produce millions of Sputnik V vaccine in India.
Countries that have approved Sputnik V
Apart from India, 59 countries have approved Sputnik V. with a total population of over 1.5 billion people, Sputnik V has received the second-highest number of approvals issued by government regulators globally. Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, Moldova, Slovakia, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Laos, Iraq, North Macedonia, Kenya, Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Cameroon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda and Mali are countries that have approved Sputnik V.
