Pharmaceutical firm Dr Reddy’s Laboratories on Friday said Russian made coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V will be priced at Rs 948, with 5% Goods and Services Tax per dose, reported PTI. The total amounts to Rs 995.5.

The prices were announced the day the first dose of Sputnik V was administered in Hyderabad as part of a limited pilot exercise.

Sputnik V is a two-dose shot with a 91.6% efficacy in late-stage trials, according to results published in February. No serious adverse events were found to be linked with the vaccine. It has a higher efficacy rate than the two vaccines currently approved in India – Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech and Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India. The vaccine can be stored at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

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The first batch of Sputnik vaccines arrived in India on May 1, and received regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, on May 13. Dr Reddy’s said that more consignments from Russia were expected in the coming months.

The company added that it was also working with six local manufacturing partners to scale up production, with doses for commercial use expected from July.

Dr Reddy’s had received permission from the Drug Controller General of India to import the Sputnik vaccine into India for restricted use in emergency situations in April. The company had partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to conduct the clinical trials of Sputnik V.

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Several states have curtailed vaccinations due to severe shortages amid a record surge in coronavirus infections. States such as Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra had to halt vaccination for the 18 to 44 age group as supplies ran short.

At least 11 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, have decided to float global tenders for procuring coronavirus vaccines amid shortages of supply from domestic manufacturers, Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India.