India on Friday began using Sputnik V in its battle against COVID-19 with the first dose of the vaccine from Russia administered in Hyderabad. The vaccine is being sold at a maximum retail price of ₹995 per dose.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, the marketing partner for the Russian vaccine, that earlier this month received a consignment of 1.50 lakh doses has announced that as part of a limited pilot, the soft launch has commenced and the first dose was administered in Hyderabad.
Members of the senior leadership of Dr. Reddy’s said the vaccine will be supplied at the same price —₹948 plus 5% GST — to both government and private sector. For the consumers, there would also be administering charges levied by hospitals. Given that the vaccine must be stored at minus 18 degrees C and the lack of availability of such cold chain infrastructure, the company said, “We will begin with Metros and Tier 1 cities and scale up to the rest of India.”