A senior official at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories told India Today TV that the Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be available in India starting in May.
Deepak Sapra, the CEO of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, said in an exclusive interview with India Today TV that the first batch of the vaccine will be imported from Russia. “The vaccine would be supplied in small quantities from Russia at first. Following that, as Indian factories begin to deliver, the supply will be ramped up “Deepak Sapra said the following.
Deepak Sapra mentioned that six manufacturing units in India have been chosen to produce Sputnik V.
The vaccine will be supplied in its first batch from Russia. After that, there would be a gradual increase. Two of the six units are scheduled to start shipping the made-in-India vaccine in June-July, the other two in August, and the final two in September or October,” he added.
Within 2021, the company expects to produce enough vaccine doses to vaccinate 12 to 13 crore people in India, according to a company spokesperson. He did not, however, say how many vaccine doses would be imported from Russia in May.
According to government procurement guidelines for Covid-19 vaccines, the first batch, which will be imported from Russia, will be available in private markets, while the subsequent batches, which will be manufactured in India, will be split between the Centre, state governments, and private players, according to Deepak Sapra.
Deepak Sapra said the price of the Sputnik V dosage had not yet been finalised when asked about it.
“We’re working on figuring out the price, with the intention of making Sputnik V as accessible as possible. There will be a price gap between vaccine doses imported from Russia and those made in the United States “he said.
Sputnik V clinical trials were managed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in India for Russian pharmaceutical firm Gamaleya Research Institute, which developed the vaccine. It is now working to build a manufacturing base in India for its development and quality assurance.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories are also researching Sputnik V for new SARS-CoV-2 variants discovered in India, according to Deepak Sapra.
