KARACHI – Pakistan has approved the emergency use of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’, the third vaccine approved against the deadly coronavirus.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan on Friday granted approval of the Gam-COVID-Vac, also known as Sputnik V. The first batch of the vaccine would reach Pakistan by the end of this month.
Sources said the approval was granted on the recommendation of a committee comprising coronavirus experts and pathologists.
Earlier, the authority had approved Oxford–AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use. However, Pakistan is yet to receive any vaccine.
According to a DRAP official, a local pharmaceutical firm, AGP Limited, had applied for registration, marketing, and distribution of the vaccine across Pakistan.
It is to be noted that a double dose of the Russian vaccine in Pakistan would cost double the rate at which it is available in India.
