Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to be available for use in India in May-June

NEW DELHI. KAZINFORM Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will be available for use in India in May-June when imports from Russia begin, Co-Chairman and Managing Director of the Indian pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories G. V. Prasad has said.

«The first batches are going to be produced by RDIF (the Russian Direct Investment Fund) and will be imported to India by us,» the Times of India quotes Prasad as saying on Thursday. The production of the vaccine in India will kick off in the July-September period, TASS reports.

Sputnik V will be delivered to India under a contract between Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

On April 12, RDIF announced that India’s Drugs Controller General had approved the Sputnik V vaccine for use in that country. Sputnik V thus became the third vaccine approved in India. At present, India uses two vaccines, namely, Covishield developed by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and Oxford University and COVAXIN developed by Indian company Bharat Biotech.