Corona Vaccine: Imported dose of Sputnik V vaccine to roll out in India at a cost of ₹ 995.40 per dose

India: Dr Reddy’s on Friday administered the first shot of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for Novel Coronavirus in Hyderabad. An imported dose of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine will cost ₹ 995.40 in India, informed Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

Sputnik V, is said to have an efficiency of 91.6 per cent, is the third vaccine to be approved for use in India. The price of the imported doses will include five per cent GST per dose. Doses of Sputnik V which are made in India, however, are likely to be cheaper.

The company, in a statement, said the first dose was administered as part of a limited pilot. “Further consignments of imported doses are expected over the upcoming months. Subsequently, supply of Sputnik V vaccine will commence from Indian manufacturing partners,” it said.

he vaccine, developed by Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans. The adenoviruses are weakened so they cannot replicate in humans and cannot cause disease. They are also modified so that the vaccine delivers a code for making the coronavirus spike protein. This aims to ensure that when the real virus tries to infect the body, it can mount an immune response in the form of antibodies.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) had partnered with Dr Reddy’s in September 2020 to conduct clinical trials in India.