New Delhi: As the first dose of Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine was administered in India on Friday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) said that the second batch of Sputnik V is expected to arrive in India by the end of the week.
“Sputnik V is the first foreign-made vaccine used in India. RDIF stands ready to support our partners in India to launch a full-scale vaccination with Sputnik V as soon as possible. The safe and effective Russian vaccine, which to date is authorized in 65 countries, will make an important contribution in upscaling the vaccination in India and bringing down the number of cases,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Read:| First lot of Russian vaccine Sputnik V arrives in Hyderabad
Sputnik V has become the first foreign-made vaccine that is used in India contributing to the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Inoculations with Sputnik V in Hyderabad on Friday followed the arrival of the first batch of the vaccine in India on May 1.
The dose was administered in Hyderabad as a part of a limited pilot. The vaccine will be priced at Rs 995 per dose. However, Dr Reddy’s said that the price may go down once its production starts in India.
On Thursday, Dr VK Paul, chairperson of India’s Covid-19 task force said that from next week Sputnik V will also be available in the market.
“From July, the Indian manufacturer (Dr Reddy’s) will start manufacturing Sputnik V in India,” said Dr Paul.
Under the current agreement with RDIF, Dr Reddy’s will get more Sputnik V doses by the end of May.
Sputnik V was approved for use in India on April 12 and granted emergency use authorization by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). RDIF believes that India is the leading production hub for Sputnik V.
Apart from Dr Reddy’s, RDIF has reached agreements with the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country (Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech) aimed at the production of more than 850 million doses per year.
Read:| Dr Reddy's launches Sputnik V vaccine in India at around Rs 995 per dose
To date, Sputnik V is registered in 65 countries with a total population of over 3.2 billion people. Post-vaccination studies in several countries demonstrate that Sputnik V is the safest and most effective vaccine against coronavirus.
Sputnik V ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators, RDIF said.
It may be mentioned here that the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy.
Meanwhile, in another development, a meeting of the National Task Force on Covid-19 discussed the use of Plasma therapy for Covid-19 treatment.
“The discussion was held and it’s currently under review among experts. Tomorrow or Monday a revised advisory could be issued,” said a source in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The discussion on the use of Plasma therapy was started after a few scientists wrote to the Union Health Ministry that there is no benefit offered by convalescent plasma for treatment of Covid-19.
Read:| Sputnik V could be available in India from next week: NITI Aayog
