India to produce 850 million doses of Sputnik V annually
Production of Sputnik V in India is expected to gradually increase to 850 million doses per year, Russian Ambassador to India, N Kudashev said on Sunday. Referring to Sputnik V as a "Russian-Indian" vaccine, Kudashev also said there are plans to introduce a single-dose vaccine, Sputnik Light, in India soon. The vaccine's efficacy is "well-known" in the world, he added.
As many as 60,000 doses of the second batch of the Russian vaccine arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Sunday, said Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. Samples from the consignment will be sent for release to the Central Drugs Laboratory, the pharmaceutical company added. The first batch with 1.5 lakh doses of Sputnik V had arrived in Hyderabad on May 1.
Given the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign, this second delivery has become very timely. The efficacy of the #SputnikV is well-known in the world. https://t.co/AcqoxHERBc
— Nikolay Kudashev 🇷🇺 (@NKudashev) May 16, 2021
The Russian Ambassador to India said Sputnik V has been successfully used to vaccinate citizens since the second half of 2020. "Russian specialists declared it's also effective against new COVID-19 strains," he added. Sputnik V will cost Rs. 995 per dose in India. It is likely to be available in the market from early next week, the Centre had said on Thursday.
Ambassador Kudashev said that the life-saving humanitarian assistance delivered last month by the Russian side is being successfully used to help Indians to overcome the consequences of the viral infection, reported ANI. "That is indeed a brilliant example of the special and privileged strategic partnership and an effective model of international anti-pandemic cooperation that does not know any unnecessary obstacles," he added.
Meanwhile, a top executive at Dr. Reddy's told CNN-News18 that India will receive a total of 250 million doses of Sputnik V over the next eight-10 months. Deepak Sapra, CEO, API & Services, at Dr. Reddy's, said that once the India-manufactured product is available, the pricing for the vaccine will be lowered. Sapra took the first shot of the vaccine in Hyderabad on Friday.
At 91.6%, Sputnik V's efficacy is higher compared to the two COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered in India. These include Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield (76% efficacy), manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN (78%). NITI Aayog member Dr. VK Paul has said that India plans to inoculate all its citizens against COVID-19 by the end of 2021.
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 2,46,84,077 COVID-19 cases till Sunday morning. The death toll has reached 2,70,284. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 2,07,95,335 patients have recovered, while 18,22,20,164 vaccine doses have been administered so far.
President Vladimir Putin in March said that Russia signed agreements for the production of 700 million doses abroad, Reuters reported. However, Russia produced 33 million vaccines as of May 12 and exported fewer than 15 million, according to a tally that counted each vaccine as consisting of two doses. Meanwhile, Brazil's regulator has denied approval to import Sputnik V, citing safety and efficacy concerns.
