India approves Russia's Sputnik V COVID vaccine for emergency use

(Karachi) As many countries have struck deals to procure coronavirus vaccine, India has become the 60th state to approve the use of Sputnik V vaccine against the deadly disease, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) stated.

The RDIF, a body that markets the vaccine abroad, said that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved the use of Sputnik V. However, the Indian regulator has yet to make a statement.

"India, the world’s 2nd most populous nation, became the 60th country to register #SputnikV after positive results of local Phase 3 clinical study. Sputnik V is now authorized in 60 countries with a population of over 3 [billion] people," a tweet from Sputnik V’s official account read.

Sputnik V vaccine has been approved for use in countries with a total population of three billion people or about 40 percent of the global population.

Commenting on the matter, RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said that the approval of the vaccine is a major milestone as both countries have been developing extensive cooperation on clinical trials of Sputnik V in India and its local production.

He added, "The Russian vaccine has efficacy of 91.6 percent and provides full protection against severe cases of COVID-19 as demonstrated by the data published in one of the leading medical journals."

Dmitriev maintained that the RDIF has created partnerships with a number of India's leading pharmaceutical companies for the production of Sputnik V which will provide for both vaccination of the population in India and global distribution of the vaccine.

"Over 850 million doses of Sputnik V are going to be produced in India annually sufficient to vaccinate more than 425 million people around the world," he remarked.