Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd has confirmed its commitment to “explore every option in the battle against the pandemic” after the standalone Sputnik Light Russian vaccine was certified by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) as part of India’s national immunisation campaign against Covid-19. Dr. Reddy’s has now launched Sputnik Light the second Covid-19 vaccination accessible in India.
Dr. Reddy’s announced Monday DCGI has granted approval to the Sputnik Light vaccine, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Center, for restricted emergency use. Sputnik Light is a one-dose vaccine and the same as the first component—recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)—of the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine. Following its Phase III clinical trial of the single-shot Sputnik Light vaccine in India, Dr. Reddy’s had submitted its application for approval to DCGI in December 2021, in addition to data from the clinical trial in Russia.
Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and Russia are among the nations that have accepted Sputnik Light. Sputnik V provides substantial protection against the Omicron strain, according to an independent comparison research undertaken by the Spallanzani Institute in Italy earlier this year, with nearly two times more viral neutralising activity than the Pfizer vaccine. The findings back with the Gamaleya Center’s previous laboratory investigation, which found that Sputnik V causes a strong neutralising antibody response to the Omicron version, which is boosted by Sputnik Light.