Indian Drug Regulator's Expert Panel Asks For More Data To Recommend Emergency Use Of Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine

The subject expert committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation(CDSCO), India's drug regulator, has deferred its decision on whether to recommend the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, reports Livemint.

Hyderabad based pharmaceutical major Dr Reddy's Laboratories which had applied for the EUA for Sputnik V has been asked to provide more data to the SEC before a decision can be taken on the EUA recommendation.

It should be noted that Dr Reddy's has a pact with the vaccine's co-developer Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for carrying out the clinical trials, and to distribute the vaccine in the country subject to authorisation. The vaccine has claimed a high interim efficacy of 91.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, RDIF has also signed pacts with four other Indian companies for manufacturing a total of 750 million doses.