The production of the Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine in India is expected to start in August, Indian envoy to Russia, Bala Venkatesh Varma told news agency ANI in Saint Petersburg.
He said about 3 million doses of Sputnik V will be supplied in bulk by May-end to India and will be filled in vials locally for administering the shots in the country. This would be followed up with another 5 million doses in June after which production in India is expected to start in August, ANI quoted Verma as saying.
He said that Russia has also offered the single-shot Sputnik Lite vaccine to India. Once the approvals are given for this vaccine by India, exports will start.
Sputnik V, has been soft launched in India, with the first dose administered in Hyderabad on May 14. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is the licensed distributor for the vaccine in India and will also be the first company to start production. .
The vaccine is priced at ₹995.40 per shot in the market, but the price is expected to come down once local production starts in July.
The first consignment carrying 150,000 doses of the vaccine had landed in Hyderabad on May 1.
Sputnik V is the third vaccine to be given Emergency Use Authorisation in India after Oxford University -AstraZeneca developed Covishield and Bharat Biotech manufactured Covaxin.
