Hyderabad based Hetero Biopharma has received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to manufacture the Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik Light for sale in India. It will be used in an emergency case with some restrictions.
Hetero is the first biopharmaceutical company in India to receive approval for the manufacturing and marketing of the product locally to prevent Covid in adults aged over 18 years. It is directed in a single dose of 0.5milliliter.
Sputnik Light vaccines will be used in emergencies
Russian Direct Investment Fund’s (RDIF) Sputnik Light is the first component of Sputnik V. It is the first Covid vaccine that was registered in the world in 2020. In February 2022, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) permitted the use of the single-dose Sputnik Light Covid vaccine in India in case of emergencies.
“Clinical data of Sputnik Light (Component I of Sputnik V) had shown significantly high titers of antibodies against Covid, glycoprotein-specific and virus-neutralizing antibodies, and CD4 and IFN-γ levels. Sputnik Light has also shown its neutralizing activity against Omicron variant of SARS CoV-2 virus,’‘ said Shubhadeep Sinha, senior vice president and head, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs (CDMA), Hetero, in a release on Monday. “Earlier, Sputnik V clinical trials had shown major protection against Covid globally, including other subtypes,” he added.
