Talks on Sputnik Light production in India close to completion, says Lavrov

NEW DELHI, December 6. /TASS/. The talks on the production of the Russian anti-coronavirus jab Sputnik Light in India are nearing completion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters following the talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the Russia-India consultations in the 2+2 format between the two countries’ defense and foreign ministers on Monday. "The talks on Sputnik Light are nearing completion," he said when asked a respective question. The agreement on the production of the two-component vaccine Sputnik V in the republic is also being implemented, the minister added. "Quite a large scale is expected - around hundred million doses each year," he said. In mid-September, a committee of experts under the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) issued a permit for intermediate tests of the third (final) stage of Sputnik Light studies in India. Once approved, Sputnik Light will be the first one-dose coronavirus vaccine to be used in India. India currently uses three vaccines, including Covishield developed by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and produced by India's Serum Institute, Covaxin produced by India's Bharat Biotech, and Russia's Sputnik V. Two US vaccines, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, have recently also been approved for emergency use in the country, though the vaccination using those jabs has not started yet in India. Read more