Make an Informed Choice

With the impending arrival of Sputnik V, people will have more choice. They will have to select the vaccine they prefer in consultation with their doctor and after seeing efficacy levels and the supply chain

- Dr KK Aggarwal

INDIA has a third Covid-19 vaccine now. Recently, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Sputnik V, the vaccine developed by Russia, for restricted use in an emergency situation. At present, India is using two vaccines for its vaccination drive—Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, and the indigenous “Covaxin” manufactured by Bharat Biotech.

Initially, India will import the Russian vaccine and may start manufacturing it later in the year. Six companies— Hetero Biopharma, Gland Pharma, Stelis Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Virchow Biotech and Shilpa Medicare—will manufacture it in the country. The first batch of Sputnik V will be delivered to India this month.

Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine for Covid-19 and was approved in Russia in August last year for use in persons aged 18 years or older. Officially called Gam-COVID-Vac, Sputnik V has been developed by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian defence ministry.

Sputnik V is a viral vector vaccine, similar to the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and the Can Sino vaccines. The Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines are administered in two doses. The Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine uses a chimpanzee adenovirus for both the doses. Sputnik V, on the other hand, uses two different vectors—the human adenovirus 26 and human adenovirus 5—to deliver the viral antigen (spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2) in the host. The first dose contains Ad26, while the second dose has Ad5. They are given at an interval of 21 days. Moreover, Sputnik V can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, which makes it suitable for use in local conditions.