The first lot of 1.5 lakh Russian COVID-19 vaccines – Sputnik V had arrived in Hyderabad from Russia on the very day when India opened vaccinations to all citizens above 18 years of age.

Deepak Sapra, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories CEO (API& Services) said that the rollout of the vaccine consignment will be processed in the next few days as subjected to the necessary clearances. Top company officials had earlier said that the imported vaccine will likely be priced at around $10 per dose consistent with the uniform global pricing.

Dr Reddy’s has a tie-up with Russian sovereign fund Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). They will distribute above 125 million people the equivalent doses of Sputnik V vaccine in India. Sputnik V vaccine covers two human adenoviral vectors – Ad26 and Ad5 –and is injected 21 days apart.

RDIF has also tied up with Gland Pharma (252 million), Panacea Biotech (100 m), Virchow Biotech (200 m), Hetero Biopharma (100 million) and Stelis Biopharma (200 m), to manufacture approximately 852 million doses or 426 million equivalent doses of Sputnik V, whereas Dr Reddy’s has a tie-up with Shilpa Medicare for an undisclosed number of vaccine doses.

Source: ET Healthworld