India's COVID-19 Expert Panel to Consider Sputnik V Vaccine Approval on Monday - Sources

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2021) India's Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 will decide on the authorization of the Sputnik V vaccine emergency use later on Monday, sources in the Indian Health Ministry told Sputnik.

According to the sources, SEC will most likely greenlight the Russian-made vaccine.

If approved, Sputnik V will become the third vaccine used in India, alongside home-grown Covaxin and Indian-produced AstraZeneca vaccine � Covieshield.

The talks about approving the Russian vaccine came in the wake of an April 4 meeting chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that reviewed the current COVID-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination program amid the surge in cases.

The country's drug regulator began reviewing Sputnik V in late February. Before reaching a decision, its experts have requested information on the vaccine's safety and efficacy from Indian pharmaceutical giant Dr Reddy's Laboratories.

On April 1, the experts additionally asked the company to provide data on the vaccine's stability and storage conditions.

Expecting the trial results and the upcoming approval, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which promotes Sputnik V, inked production deals with five Indian manufacturers. Under the deal with Hetero Biopharma, the company is set to manufacture over 100 million doses of vaccine annually, with Gland Pharma � up to 252 million doses, with Stelis Biopharma and Virchow Biotech � up to 200 million doses each, and with Panacea Biotec � up to 100 million doses.

Sputnik V has already been authorized in nearly 60 countries. According to phase 3 trial results published in The Lancet medical journal, the vaccine has 91.6 percent efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19.