COVID-19 vaccine produced by Russia, Sputnik V, will cost ₹995.40 per dose in India and the price of vaccines produced in the country may be lower, according to a release issued by pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. The price of the vaccine doses includes the five per cent GST, said Dr Reddy's Laboratories, the Indian manufacturer of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine. The pharma company on Friday said that as part of a limited pilot launch of Sputnik V, the first dose of the vaccine was administered in Hyderabad, according to PTI.
The vaccine is likely to be available in market from next week, the Centre had said on Thursday as the vaccine shortage in various states deepened and restrictions were brought in for vaccination.The first consignment of imported doses of the Sputnik V vaccine landed in India on May 1, and was cleared for emergency use in India on April 13."Further consignments of imported doses are expected over the upcoming months. Subsequently, supply of the Sputnik V vaccine will commence from Indian manufacturing partners," Dr Reddy's said.Sputnik V is one of only three vaccines in the world with such a high efficacy rate, after Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The two-dose vaccine also has most authorisations granted globally. Priced at less than $10 per dose in international markers, the vaccine has already been administered to more than 20 lakh people worldwide. In September last year, Dr Reddy's partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India.