Sputnik V likely to be available at Delhi hospital from today

Sputnik V claimed to have the highest efficacy rate at 91.6 per cent—Moderna and Pfizer vaccines also have an efficacy of over 90 per cent.

Sputnik V, the Russian-made vaccine against Covid-19, is likely to be available at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi from Tuesday, according to a report. Sputnik V, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute, vaccine rollout will depend on the number of consignments received by the hospital, news agency ANI has said.

Sputnik V received the Indian drug regulator's permission for restricted emergency use with certain conditions on April 12. (Reuters Photo)

The first phase of the Sputnik V rollout by Apollo Hospitals and Dr Reddy's Laboratories started on a pilot basis on May 17 in Hyderabad and the next day in Vishakhapatnam. Sputnik V is also available at Hyderabad’s Continental Hospitals.

Apart from Apollo Hospitals, Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Delhi will also start administering the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine to people by the end of this week. The Centre has fixed the price of the vaccine at ₹1,145 per dose.

ANI also reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Sputnik V was administered to employees of Dr Reddy's Laboratories at Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital on Sunday. As many as 1000 doses of Sputnik V reached the Apollo Hospital and 179 doses were administered to the Dr Reddy's Laboratories’ employees.

High efficacy rate

Dr Reddy's Laboratories has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which globally markets the Covid-19 vaccine, for the rollout of the two-dose vaccine in India. Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, is the world's first registered vaccine against Covid-19 and was given regulatory approval in Moscow last August. The two-dose vaccine is now authorised in 67 countries.

The two-dose Sputnik V received the Indian drug regulator's permission for restricted emergency use with certain conditions on April 12 and vaccination against coronavirus with the Russian vaccine started on May 14.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd had applied for the grant of permission to import and market Gam-COVID-Vac combined vector vaccine, popularly called Sputnik-V, for Emergency Use Authorisation.

Sputnik V claimed to have the highest efficacy rate at 91.6 per cent—Moderna and Pfizer vaccines also have an efficacy of over 90 per cent. RDIF on June 10 announced that the efficacy of the Sputnik V was estimated at 94.3 per cent during a vaccination campaign by Bahrain's ministry of health. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet approved Sputnik V as an emergency vaccine.

Sputnik Light

A single-dose vaccine Sputnik Light is also expected to be approved in India soon. PTI reported in late May that the government is hopeful of a speedy launch of Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik Light, the slimmed-down, single-dose version of Sputnik V, in India. An application seeking regulatory approval for Sputnik Light is expected to be filed in the next couple of weeks and it could become the first single-dose vaccine to be launched in India, PTI reported citing people familiar with the development.

Sputnik Light demonstrated 79.4% efficacy, according to an analysis of data gathered 28 days after the shot was administered as part of Russia’s mass vaccination programme between December 2020 and April 2021, the vaccine’s developers said in a statement. Gamaleya Center also demonstrated during laboratory tests that Sputnik Light had proven effective against all new strains of the coronavirus, the statement said.

The use of Sputnik V in India will significantly boost the country's vaccination drive, which was halted in several states amid a severe shortage of doses. India, the world's biggest vaccine manufacturer, has been able to vaccinate around 3 per cent of its population.