Covid vaccine: Sputnik V may not be available in India for another 2 weeks

The Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, which was launched in India as a pilot on May 14, is yet to be commercially available in the country, owing to delays in the im­port of consignments. The roll-out, which was expected in mid-June, has now been pushed back by at least two weeks, according to sources.

Around 3 million units of the first dose of the vaccine have landed in India, while the consignment of the second dose is expected by the end of this month. 

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), the distribution partner of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the vaccine internationally, admitted that there was a ‘slight postponement in the commercial launch due to dependency on imported consignments’.

A company spokesperson added that the pilot phase initiated on May 14 in Hyderabad has so far been extended to Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kol­kata, Delhi, Chennai, Miryalaguda, Vijay­awada, Baddi, Kolhapur, Raipur, and Chan­digarh. “By the end of the final leg of the pilot phase, we aim to reach 28 cities. Our cold storage and other logistical arra­ngements are being executed in line with our commercialisation plan and are on track. We will continue to share updates related to Sputnik V,” the DRL spokesperson said. 

DRL is the sole distributor of the first 250 million doses of Sputnik V in India. The initial 50 million doses are expected to be imported from Russia to ensure a faster rollout before Indian pharma companies begin producing the vaccine.

The first consignment of imported doses of Sputnik V, which landed in India on May 1, received regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, on May 13. The vaccine is currently priced at a maximum of ~948 plus 5 per cent goods and service tax (GST) per dose. A lower price point may be possible when local supply begins, DRL said. 

Sputnik V was approved for use in India on April 12, 2021, and was granted emergency use authorisation. India will soon be the leading production hub for Sputnik V. “RDIF has reached agreements with leading pharmaceutical companies in the country (Gland Pharma, Hetero Biop­harma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech), aimed at producing more than 850 million doses per year,” RDIF said.

Private hospital chains like Fortis Healthcare, Manipal Hospitals and Apollo Hospitals, have already tied up with RDIF to source the vaccine. Standalone hospitals across major cities, too, will likely offer this vaccine. A source at a private hospital said that hospitals were ready with the cold-chain infrastructure for Sputnik V, which needs to be stored at -18 degree Celsius.

The two-dose Sputnik V, given 21 days apart, has an efficacy of 97.6 per cent, according to RDIF and the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed the vaccine. The Gamaleya Research Institute made Sputnik V using two different human adenovirus vectors (Ad26 and Ad5) in two doses. 

In order to differentiate between the two doses — primer and booster — the colours of the vaccines will be different.