Covid-19 vaccine: Hospitals see no immediate rush for Sputnik Light

Dr Reddy's Laboratories, marketing partner of the Russian Direct Investment Fund for the Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines, has sought government approval for use of Sputnik Light as a booster shot

The emergency use authorisation for Sputnik Light is unlikely to spark high demand for this single-shot vaccine in the short term, according to hospitals. 

They are of the view that unless newer segments open up for vaccination, demand for Sputnik Light is unlikely to grow.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), the marketing partner of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for the Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines, has sought government approval for the use of Sputnik Light as a booster shot or a precaution dose. It is also in discussions to supply Sputnik Light to public health programmes.

“The current restricted use in emergency situation approval from the DCGI to Sputnik Light is for the single-shot standalone vaccine. Our efforts to seek approval for Sputnik Light as a precautionary dose/booster are currently underway. Our objective is to seek approval for Sputnik Light as a booster for all vaccines,” a company spokesperson said.

“As the single-shot Sputnik Light is for the benefit of the unvaccinated (naïve) population, we are confident of its ability to impact the population that is serviced by both public health programmes and private sector. We are in discussions on the same,” the spokesperson added.

So far, Sputnik V has not been procured by the government and is used only in the private sector. The company, however, did not share the price of Sputnik Light.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Sputnik Light -- the first dose component of Sputnik V -- on Sunday.

But according to several private hospitals, at present, the rule for precaution shots is to use the same dose as before, and therefore, a majority of the demand is for Covaxin (Bharat Biotech) and Covishield (Serum Institute of India).

Moreover, cities have already achieved significant coverage in terms of vaccination, and thus demand in urban centres has slowed down.

“Currently, a significant population is vaccinated in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Hence the demand for a single dose will not come from this segment. According to the precautionary dose policy, the same vaccine needs to be given. Hence unless we get demand in the future for the next cycle of vaccination, I don’t think we will procure the same,” said Joy Chakraborty, chief operating officer of PD Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.

The city has covered 100 per cent of its population with a single dose, and more than 90 per cent with two doses now.

But hospitals also feel that compliance is likely to be high with a single-dose vaccine, such as Sputnik Light.

“Both compliance and demand may benefit from a single-dose vaccine. We will assess the situation over the next few days and take a view,” said Dilip Jose, MD, Manipal Hospitals.

Precaution shots are homologous, according to the Government of India's directives, which means one has to take a shot of the same vaccine as his/her previous two shots as a third dose.

DRL said that it has no issue with the availability of the vaccine. “We have adequate visibility of manufacturing and supply. On pricing, we will share further information in due course,” the spokesperson added.

The subject expert committee (SEC) had recommended approval to Sputnik Light on January 31. Sputnik Light is already approved in 29 countries, including Russia.

The interim data of efficacy trial from Russia has shown 65.4 per cent efficacy 21 days after immunisation.