New Delhi: Imported coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine produced by Russia, Sputnik V, will cost Rs 995.40 per dose in India while the price of vaccines produced in the country may be lower, according to a release issued by pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
This price includes the GST, which is five per cent per dose, said the Indian manufacturer of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine.
Drug firm Dr Reddy’’s Laboratories on Friday said as part of a limited pilot, the soft launch of the COVID vaccine Sputnik V has commenced and the first dose of the vaccine was administered in Hyderabad.
The first consignment of imported doses of the Sputnik V vaccine landed in India on May 1, and received regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, on May 13, 2021, it added.
“Further consignments of imported doses are expected over the upcoming months. Subsequently, supply of the Sputnik V vaccine will commence from Indian manufacturing partners,” it added.
The imported doses of the vaccine are presently priced at a maximum retail price of Rs 948, with 5 per cent GST per dose, with the possibility of a lower price point when local supply begins, it added.
The vaccine was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in April.
On Thursday, the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) announced that the vaccine will be available in markets across the country from early next week.
Dr VK Paul, member, NITI Aayog made the announcement during a press meet. The local production of Sputnik V will begin in July, he said.
Sputnik V vaccine, first approved in Russia on August 11, 2020, is widely considered the first vaccine against the viral disease. It has an efficacy of 91.6%, according to the Lancet Medical Journal. It will be the third vaccine to be in use in India.
The other two vaccines being administered to people in India are Covishield and Covaxin. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is manufacturing the Oxford University-AstraZeneca shot as Covishield and Bharat Biotech International Limited, located in Hyderabad, has made Covaxin.
1.92 crore doses
A total of 1.92 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines–Covishield and Covaxin–will be supplied to states/UTs free of cost from May 16 to May 31, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
The delivery schedule for the allocation will be shared in advance. States/UTs have been requested to direct the officials concerned to ensure rational and judicious utilisation of allocated doses and minimise vaccine wastage, it said
The 1.92 crore doses include 1.62 crore Covishield doses and 29.49 lakh Covaxin doses.
India in a day recorded 3,26,098 COVID-19 cases that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207, according to Union health ministry data.
The active cases have reduced to 36,73,802 and comprise 15.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.83 per cent, it stated. The number of people who have recovered from the disease has increased to 2,04,32,898, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.09 per cent, the data showed.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.
The country’s case tally crossed the two-crore mark on May 4.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 31,30,17,193 samples have been tested up to May 14 with 6,93,093 samples being tested on Friday.AGENCIES