SPUTNIK V DOSES TO AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER.
Dr. Reddy’s said due to the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in Russia, the arrival of Sputnik V vaccine doses is getting delayed, and the situation may ease by the end of August.
Dr. Reddy’s laboratories expect the locally manufactured Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V to be available from September- October period, a senior official of the city-based drugmaker said on Tuesday.
MV Ramana, CEO of the Branded market, Dr. Reddy’s said we would be needing Sputnik v.
The local manufacturers are currently in the process of technology absorption and scale-up. So we expect, and from the October- September timeframe, we are likely to have locally manufactured Sputnik available, Mr. Ramana said.
Dr. Reddy, which has tied up with the Russian Direct investment fund for Sputnik V in India, soft-launched the vaccine in India in May 2021 after receiving Emergency use Authorization in April 2021.
Mr. Ramana said the company is in discussions with RDIF for ramping up supplies. RDIF has tied up with six Indian drug makers to manufacture Sputnik V.
Dr. Reddy is in a pact with Russian Direct investment to sell the first 125 million people doses of covid 19 Sputnik v in India.
The official said the vaccine was launched in 80 cities, and over 2.5 lakh people have been administered the jab.
Replying to a query, he said the trials of Sputnik V in adolescents have commenced in Russia, and they are expected to be completed by October.
On the arrival of more Sputnik V stock from RDIF, Ramana said what we wait for now is the balance of the second dose, and we are under process.
We do expect to hear back from them by the end of July. So we can say that in August we should start seeing a bit of floor of the imported products.
Meanwhile, in a press release, Dr. Reddy said SVAAS wellness limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the drug maker, tied up with ICICI Lombard General insurance company limited for a pilot launch of a first of its kind cashless outpatient offering in India.
The partnership marks Dr. Reddy’s digital health solution SVAAS and demonstrates ICIC Lombard’s deeper foray into the wellness space.