India approves Russian Sputnik vaccine against COVID-19

India has cleared Russian covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V for use, leading local drug maker said on Tuesday, which will speed up the vaccination campaign at a time when the country is experiencing a sharp increase in infections.

Sputnik V is the third vaccine approved by India, after the vaccine developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca and Covaxin, from the Indian firm Bharat Biotech.

“We are very happy to have obtained the authorization for emergency use of Sputnik V in IndiaGV Prasad, co-chairman and managing director of Indian pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s, said in a statement.

“With the increase in cases in India, vaccination is the most effective tool in our fight against covid-19,” added Prasad.

According to production agreements signed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), With the Russian sovereign wealth fund promoting the vaccine, the Indian manufacturer will produce 852 million doses of Sputnik V.

India, a country of 1.3 billion people, faces sharp rise in covid-19 cases in recent weeks, which led the government to impose a curfew and establish restrictions on movement.

On Monday, India recorded 161,000 additional infections, for the seventh consecutive day surpassing the barrier of 100,000 new cases daily.

The executive director of RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev said in a statement that the approval was a “milestone” after “extensive cooperation” in clinical trials of the injection in India.

India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, launched its vaccination campaign in mid-January.

But the government’s ambitious goal of vaccinating 300 million people by the end of July is not progressing as planned due to dose shortages. in some states and questions about vaccines.

With information from AFP

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