4 million made in India Sputnik jabs for Russia

In September, DGCI had granted nod for Phase 3 trials

India has allowed export of around 4 million doses of domestically-manufactured coronavirus vaccine ‘Sputnik Light’ to Russia, sources said yesterday.

Sputnik Light - the singledose Covid-19 vaccine variant of Russia’s Sputnik - has not yet been approved for emergency use in India.

Hetero and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, the Indian partner of Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, markets the Sputnik range of vaccines globally.

There were various view points among Indian experts about the single-dose vaccine’s efficacy on Indians.

In Sept, the Drugs Controller General of India had granted permission for the conducting Phase 3 bridging trials of Sputnik Light on the Indian population.

Nod after study

The nod comes after a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet said that Sputnik Light showed 78.6 to 83.7 per cent efficacy against Covid-19, significantly higher than most two-shot vaccines. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s Subject Expert Committee had, in July, denied grant of emergency use authorisation to Sputnik Light, stressing need to Phase 3 trial of the Russian vaccine in the country.

In September, Russia had sought nod from the Indian government to lift a ban on the export of single-dose Covid vaccine Sputnik Light citing the reason for its shelf life and possibility of being wasted.

The Sputnik Light vaccine in India is produced by Hetero Biopharma which is one of the Russian Direct Investment Fund partners in the production of the vaccine.