New Delhi, 11/4 (AO Bureau): By the end of the third quarter of this year, India will receive Covid-19 vaccines from five additional manufacturers. ANI has given this information citing top government sources. India is currently manufacturing two Covid-19 vaccines, Kovishield and Kovaxine, while by the end of the third quarter of this year, India may get five more vaccines. These are the vaccines – Sputnik V prepared in collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine in collaboration with Biological E. Novavax vaccine, Zydus Cadila vaccine and Bharat Biotech’s Intranasal vaccine.
Sources said that safety and efficacy are the primary concerns of the central government when granting the Emergency Use Authority (EUA) to any Kovid-19 vaccine in the country. The report stated that out of about 20 vaccines at various clinical and pre-clinical stages, the Sputnik V vaccine may be approved within the next 10 days. CNN-News18 recently reported that Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine may be approved in India very soon.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Hyderabad-based Virchow Biotech have entered into an agreement to produce 200 million doses for the manufacture of vaccines. Sputnik V will provide 8.5 crore doses of vaccine to India, which will give a big boost to the fight with Kovid-19 in India.
Sources believe that Sputnik vaccine may be available by June. After this, the vaccines of Johnson & Johnson and Zydus Cadila can be available till August, Novavax by September and Nasal Vaccine by October.