Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, which has received approval from the Indian drug regulator for restricted emergency use of Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, on Tuesday said it expects the first lot of stock from Russian Direct Investment Fund by May end 1.
However, it is not specified how many vaccines would be in the first batch or where they would be made. “The first doses will be delivered on May 1,” said Kirill Dmitriev, adding he hoped Russian supplies would help India navigate its way out of the pandemic in time.
“The first batch of Sputnik vaccine will be imported from Russia. After that, there will be a progressive ramp up. Two out of six units are expected to begin supply by June-July, the other two by August and the final two are slated to start delivering the made-in-India vaccine in September or October,” he said.
The company representative said that they expect to deliver enough doses to vaccinate 12 to 13 crore people in India within 2021.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories managed clinical trials of Sputnik V in India for Russian pharmaceutical company Gamaleya Research Institute that has developed the vaccine. It is now engaged in establishing a manufacturing infrastructure for its production and quality assurance in India.
India, the world’s second-most populous country, is struggling with the new, more infectious wave of the pandemic, as hospitals throughout the nation report running out of bed and critical oxygen supplies. India’s new coronavirus cases stayed above 300,000 for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, recording 323,144 daily Covid-19 cases in the preceding 24 hours.
