A dose of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus would cost Rs.995.40 in India, according to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, which manufactures the vaccine in India. Sputnik V, which has a 91.6 percent efficacy rate, is the third vaccine to be approved for use in India.
The first dose of the vaccine was delivered today in Hyderabad as part of Dr. Reddy’s soft rollout.
The price of imported doses would require a 5% GST per dosage. Sputnik V doses made in India, on the other hand, are expected to be less expensive.
The vaccine is expected to be available in the market by next week, according to the Centre, as the vaccine crisis in different states worsened and vaccination limits were imposed.
After being approved for emergency use in India on April 13, the first consignment of imported doses of the Sputnik V vaccine arrived in India on May 1.
“More shipments of imported doses are planned in the coming months. Following that, supply of the Sputnik V vaccine will begin from Indian manufacturing partners “Dr. Reddy’s said.
Sputnik V has a higher efficacy rate of 91.6 percent than the two Covid vaccines currently in use in India: Oxford-Covishield, AstraZeneca’s developed by the Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
Scientists interested in a peer-review of the vaccine wrote in the medical journal The Lancet, “Notwithstanding the previous problems and lack of accountability, the interim findings from the phase 3 trial of the Sputnik V vaccine again pose significant questions.”
In another piece published in The Lancet, Russian scientists refuted the charges. “Clear and transparent regulatory requirements exist for the provision of clinical trial data,” the scientists said.
After the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Sputnik V is one of only three vaccines in the world with such a high effectiveness score. The two-dose vaccine has since received the majority of global approvals. The vaccine, which costs less than $10 per dose in foreign markets, has since been given to over 20 lakh people worldwide.
The Sputnik vaccine is available in two forms: liquid and powder. The liquid phase must be preserved at -18 degrees Celsius. Stability testing for the powder shape, which can be stored at temperatures ranging from two to eight degrees Celsius, is currently underway.
Dr. Reddy’s collaborated with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in September of last year to perform clinical trials of Sputnik V and for its distribution.
