Russian Vaccine Sputnik V To Boost India's Inoculation Drive As DCGI Gives Nod For Emergency Use

India today gave approval to Sputnik V, its third Covid-19 vaccine after Covishield and Covaxin. RDIF has tied up with Dr Reddy's for the vaccine roll out

While India battles the worst health crisis of all it time, another vaccine has been given the approval to enter the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic and shield us from catching the virus. The expert panel of the country's drug regulator on Monday approved the use of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in India.

The decision comes after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)'s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) met today to take up Sputnik V application for Emergency Use Authorisation in India.

According to a report by Economic Times, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has tied up with a number of Indian manufacturers to produce the vaccine. These include Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Biopharma, Gland Pharma, Stelis Biopharma, and Vichrow Biotech for the production of vaccine doses.

DCGI will now consider SEC recommendation for the third Covid vaccine to be available in India amid vaccine shortage. The first two are Serum Institute of India's locally-made Oxford Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' and Bharat Biotech's indigenously manufactured Covaxin.

According to a report by Live Mint, Dr.Reddy's has been conducting small clinical trials with Sputnik V in India under a deal with Russia's wealth fund. Sputnik-V trials are on in India for around 1,600 people between 18 and 99.

Why Sputnik V?

In early February, late-stage trial results published in The Lancet medical journal revealed that the vaccine had an efficacy of roughly 92 per cent, significantly higher than both, Covishield and COVAXIN. Like the two India-approved vaccines, Sputnik V is also a two-dose vaccine but differs from Covishield and other similar vaccines, in that it uses two slightly different versions of the vaccine for the first and second dose. 

Both doses aim to target the COVID-19 particle's “spike protein” but do so using different vectors (the neutralised virus that carries the spike to the body). The underlying principle behind this is that the two different formulations will provide the body with greater immunity than using the same version twice, and may, in effect, even provide longer protection. 

On Sunday, top government sources told news agency ANI that by end of the third quarter of this year, India will be getting vaccines from five additional manufacturers.