COVID-19 vaccine | First batch of 1.5 lakh doses of Sputnik V arrives in India

India approved the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on April 13. Representative image: Sputnik V

The first consignment of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine from Russia landed at GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo on May 1.

After the first consignment of 1.5 lakh doses of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived in India on May 1, Deepak Sapra, CEO, API and Services, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, said: “We are pleased to announce that the first consignment of 150,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine has landed in Hyderabad from Russia. The rollout of the consignment will be subject to the necessary clearances, which will be processed over the next few days.”

He added: “This initial quantity will be used across different channels as a pilot to line up our supply chain for the larger vaccination program rollout. Subsequent consignments will arrive in the next few weeks. This is a reaffirmation of Dr Reddy’s commitment towards combating COVID-19 in India through our portfolio of therapeutics and vaccines.”

India's envoy to Russia Venkatesh Varma had earlier said that around 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine will be available in India by early May and will be rolled out in phases.

"Sputnik V will provide a major contribution to India's vaccination effort,  with more than 60-70 percent of doses to be produced in India," Varma had said during a media briefing on April 29.

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He said the efficacy of the vaccine was encouraging and it was also capable of addressing the virus mutations.

Sputnik V is the third vaccine to be granted emergency approval by India, which will from May 1 expand the nationwide vaccine drive to include everyone aged above 18 but several states have expressed their inability to begin Phase 3, saying they don't have enough jabs.

At present, India is using Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford University's vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

Read | Sputnik V: All your key questions answered

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on April 13 approved the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories has collaborated with the RDIF to conduct bridge clinical trials for Sputnik V in India. It is also expected to distribute up to 250 million doses in India, importing the vaccines initially to meet the demand in India.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RIDF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, also signed manufacturing agreements with Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech, and Panacea Biotec to produce over 850 million Sputnik V doses in India.

Sputnik V has been developed by the Russian state-backed Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. The vaccine needs to be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius. It has a proven efficacy rate of 91.5 percent, which is the highest after Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech’s candidates.

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