Sputnik V Could Be India's Third Covid-19 Vaccine, Say Experts

Experts have suggested that Sputnik V, Russia’s Covid-19 has the potential to become India’s third vaccine for the novel coronavirus. According to reports, the outcomes of the phase III of the clinical trials of Sputnik V indicate a consistent strong protective effect in people from all age groups. Sputnik V had demonstrated an efficacy rate of 91.6% in the interim analysis of the Phase 3 clinical trials. It must be noted that these trials included data on 19,866 volunteers in Russia, who were administered both the first and second dose of the vaccine.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is performing commercialization of Sputnik V on a global level. As per reports, RDIF, in September 2020 had signed a pact with Dr. Reddy's, in which the Indian drug maker was responsible for carrying out the bridging study and distributing doses to 100 million people, if it were granted a license. Later, the number was raised to 125 million.

Sputnik V, the Russian novel coronavirus vaccine can be stored at between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius as compared to far below freezing temperatures required for some other vaccines. Experts suggest that Sputnik V is quite fit for Indian terrain due to optimum temperature storage requirements.

As of now, Sputnik V vaccine has already been approved by North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, the Middle East, Mexico, and Egypt. With this, Sputnik V has become one of the top three coronavirus vaccines across the globe based on the number of approvals granted by the regulatory authorities.

Indian experts believe that to meet the coronavirus vaccine needs of the world's largest democracy, it is significant to bring in safer and more effective vaccines developed in other countries.